The Timeless Value of a Mended Friend
by Green Tea Bubbles
Summary: A twist on the usual Team 7 time travel. All three are granted a second chance, back as babies in the same timeline. Except none of them know that the others are back too and all three have different plans for the future. Sakura wants to prevent a war. Sasuke wants to start one. And Naruto? He just wants Team 7 back, and maybe he'll even save Konoha in the process.
1. Prologue

**Sakura**

_Sakura feels ethereal._

_She feels powerful, as if she can transcend time, space, all of the universe._

_As if she already has._

_Sakura is dead._

Sakura smiles.

Her head is light, her body bubbly, and she feels wrapped in a cocoon of something precious, delicate, and effeminate. Even though her eyes are closed, she can feel the overwhelming warmth of the white light shining upon her, engulfing her being.

It is a comforting feeling, one she has not felt in a very long time.

Sakura opens her mouth and breathes again, taking in the clean air. It's free of smoke, and dust, and ash, and nothing smells of decay and death. Rather, she can feel spring tingling on her toes, the scent of roses and old lavender.

Old lavender – like the perfume her mother used to love.

Sakura takes in another guttural breath, inhaling the sweet scent. It's been awhile since she's seen her mother – she had made sure to move her parents away from Konoha once the war started, to a town far far away from the fighting. Are they even alive now? She hopes so.

She'll visit them once the war is over, once the fighting stops. When Madara is dead and gone-

Sakura chokes.

Sakura _remembers. _

She remembers the Final Battle.

Not the battle which ended the war. That one was tame compared to this one. This battle which which _Sasuke started that CAUSED ANOTHER FUCKING WAR WASN'T ONE ENOUGH FOR HIM-_

Sakura's eyes snap open.

A lone bulb sways above her, but there's a string of toys arching over her cradle, casting millions of shadows across her vision, dancing like stars.

_I'm dead, _she realises.

_This is my heaven. _

So she cries, and cries, staring at the toys which dangle above her which seem all too familiar but unreachable at the same time. Vaguely she hears footsteps, but _fuck _if she cares after all Sasuke's just been a fucking _twat _and who knew if Naruto was alive or not but what would Konoha do without their _Hokage-_

The footsteps reach a stop. Right next to her.

Suddenly, a face encompasses her vision, young, full of life and smiling.

Sakura freezes, and stares up in shock.

It's _her father. _

"Hello Sakura-chan," he coos, and her eyes dance over his features, memorising every contour, every colour illuminated in her vision. She's dead – yes, but _he's _here – so is he dead too? But that would mean that they'd been found, and her _mother-_

Sakura starts crying again.

"Oh no," her father sighs, "Don't cry."

Then he reaces down and scoops her up, and through the tears Sakura can make out the other features of her old room, but _why is everything so big-_

"Nanami!" her father calls, "Sakura's crying again! I think she's hungry!"

A new onslaught of tears break through at her mother's name, flowing and flowing down her fat cheeks, clouding up her face and ears till she can't hear a single word that's being said.

Another face appears above her, and this time it's her _mother._

Sakura barely has time to process the shock, the _love, _before her mother takes her from her father's arms and snuffles her in her chest.

And Sakura realises –

_I'm a baby._

And then-

_I could change things. I could change the future._

**Sasuke**

_Sasuke feels tired._

_He feels wise, as if he's lived through beauty and horrors, seen all the magic of the universe._

_As if he's lived and died._

_Sasuke is dead._

Sasuke has always been a pragmatic child.

"Fugaku," he hears his mother say, "Don't push him. You know Itachi was a prodigy. The chances of it happening again are slim to none. Don't do this to Sasuke."

"Mikoto," his father replies politely, but his tone has a hint of warning. "You don't need to worry."

The statement comes out as more of an order than a reassurance.

Sasuke sighs and turns around abruptly, heading back to his room. Despite his efforts to remain silent, his parents still drop the conversation. Silently, he curses his young body for being so inexperienced and clunky – you'd think after all he went through at least he'd be able to control his own body properly.

"He's only one," his mother resumes in a quieter tone.

"I know," Fugaku replies. "And he will be two soon. I will administer the same test I gave to Itachi. That is final."

There's a beat of silence, and Sasuke can almost _see _his mother's look of frustration.

Finally, there's a sigh. "I'm going to take Sasuke to the market."

"Of course," Fugaku replies graciously, "We need eggs."

Sasuke sighs and leans back against the wall. A second later, his mother emerges.

"Come Sasuke," she says gently, "Let's go to the market."

He follows her down obediently, head high and shoulders squared. He may be a quarter the size of Fugaku but he will refuse to let this man rule his life second time around. This time things are going to be different. He's going to change things, fix things for the _better._

He knows what to do now, even if it's taken a death.

His mother unlocks the door, not sparing his father another glance. Sasuke steps out after her and glances at Itachi, reading serenely on the porch.

"Going to the market?" His otouto asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Sasuke answers back evenly.

Itachi nods before turning to their mother. "Don't forget to buy tomatoes."

Sasuke winces.

"I won't," Mikoto says firmly. She turns to Sasuke, a corner of her lips tilted down in a frown. "You must eat all your vegetables Sasuke, they'll help you grow big and strong, like Itachi."

Sasuke's lips curl down into a deep frown. He hates tomatoes, hates what they remind him of. Of a past life, a _failed _life, and shared tomato soup with Sakura and Naruto with the campfire blazing brightly or was it a campfire was it just a fire that destroyed and destroyed and _destroyed-_

"Otouto," Itachi says gently, leaning down and clasping a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke snaps out of his reverie and locks onto his brother's eyes – eyes that he had once gouged out.

Sasuke shivers.

"Otouto," Itachi repeats, "Vegetables are good for you. You should eat them."

Sasuke smiles sardonically. That was always like Itachi – looking out for everyone else. He never cared for himself. But that didn't matter. Sasuke would fix it this time around. Pulling the strings from the edges, he'd _change _things.

This would be a new life.

**Naruto**

_Naruto feels lonely._

_He feels empty, as if all the bonds, the magic he had made, have disintegrated._

_As if he's back to being hated._

_Naruto is dead._

Naruto sits in the back of the Academy classroom, surveying the class.

It's the first day of his school, the Hokage's gift for him on his fifth birthday.

He looks down at the people he's seen live and die. People he's seen betray him, people he's seen love him. He looks down at his people.

Except he is not Hokage anymore. He is just a little boy.

Naruto chuckles softly.

In front of him, a civilian boy looks back and snarls, revolted. Next to him, Sakura plays with her hair, staring at the back of Sasuke's head.

Naruto swallows harshly. Sakura he killed. Indirectly, but killed nonetheless.

She's so young now, full of life, green eyes wide, romanticising Uchiha Sasuke in a way her older self would never be able to do so again.

He would do things right this time. Sakura would not die. Neither, as a fact, would Sasuke.

He risks another glance at his old (future?) teammate. He sits tall and proud next to another Uchiha boy, a cousin of some sorts. His posture is impeccable, as expected of Fugaku's son, but his eyes occasionally drift this way and that, betraying his inattention.

Sometimes they flicker to Sakura, Naruto notices. Did they do that before? He can't seem to remember.

He looks back at Sakura. For a second her green eyes flash, replaced by something dark, sinister, festering with hate-

But then it's gone.

_Maybe I'm imagining things, _Naruto thinks. After all, that's a look he's seen plenty of times. On older Sakura, on older Sasuke, even on himself. He must've projected his thoughts onto Sakura. The girl at this age – even the bumbling twelve year old – would never be able to muster up enough emotion for something that deeply entrenched.

Naruto glances back to Sasuke. For a second they meet eyes – _had he been staring at him? – _but then Sasuke looks away again. There'd been a flash of recognition – he's sure of that-

Or maybe he was dreaming again.

After all, he's alone this time around, just like always.

Except he won't be soon. This time around, he'll fix things, make things _better._

_I can change the future. This will be a new life._

Within his belly, Kurama stirs.

.

"_I have to keep up appearances-"_

"**They must not know I came back-"**

"But I'll have to train, in secret. I can't be-"

"_-unprepared this time around. That won't do."_

"**Chidori's good but it's not enough. Maybe-"**

"-a new version of the rasengan? But I can't do that with-"

"_-this body. Medical jutsu is it then. Though it'll be useful knowing-"_

"**-all those stupid missions Team 7 always seem to get."**

"I must keep my secret though."

"_I will show no weakness-"_

"**-or mercy, so that I may-"**

"...time travel. What a curious, curious seal. Who'd have thought Kurama's little trick really worked?"


	2. The Early Years

**Sakura**

"…and you're free to go now. But remember to do your homework! I know that it's only your first day, but it's paramount that as ninja, you take your duty seriously." Iruka gives them a nervous smile before turning back to Azumi-sensei.

"Good job," Azumi says to Iruka, patting the newly minted chuunin on the back. It's his first day on the job and it shows, Sakura thinks. He doesn't really think a bunch of five year olds know what paramount means, does he? They can barely grasp the concept of duty.

Nevertheless, Sakura takes her textbook and dutifully folds down the corner of the page of homework for the week.

All around her, the kids are already scrambling up. Funnily enough, even though Sakura's been praised for her fantastic memory, she can't remember her first few years of childhood. She remembers the bullying clearly, but even that didn't start until her second year at the Academy. In fact, did she even like Sasuke at this age? Better to keep the ruse up anyway, just in case.

Sasuke at five is still a prat though. But now that his face is free of the damaging effects of overuse of the sharingan, Sakura is reminded every time she looks at him of his beauty before power corrupted it. It would be a face which withstood the tests of time, the tests of the cursed seal, but one which would ultimately be scarred and deformed by the sharingan.

It was truly a devastating weapon, the sharingan, and now that Sakura was back, she was going to do everything in her power to stop Sasuke from gaining the sharingan. After all, it would rip the world apart, that thing.

Which meant Wave was to never happen, if she could help it.

Sakura quickly glances over at Sasuke, making sure to blush as she does so. He's chatting animatedly – well, as animatedly as he can – with Hyuuga Hinata, interestingly enough. Hinata too is lot more confident than her older self, which is strange. What had caused such a drastic change in the young girl? She even looks… _Hyuuga. _

But if Hinata's independent this time around, for one reason or another, that means Naruto is absolutely alone. Sakura pauses, contemplating a glance back. She's avoided contact with him to the best of her ability so far – not that it's any difficult, considering her parents buy into the same propaganda sold on the Nine Tail's destruction – and the most she's seen of him is little glances in the market.

She hates leaving him alone this time around – and kami it's been _five years – _but she _knows _that she must keep the past predictable – if nothing changes, the future will play out just as it's supposed to. And that means leaving Naruto alone, even though she knows he's hurting. But she'll make it up to him. Once everything is done and dusted.

If the past's predictable, then she can control it. This time, things will _end_ after the Fourth Shinobi War – for _good. _She'll get Sasuke, kunai him between the ribs, before he can ever think of starting another war.

She glances over at Sasuke again. The bastard really does look innocent.

"Hey, you wanna play?"

Sakura whirls around quickly, hands instinctively reaching for her kunai pouch – even though it's not there.

Ami stands in front of her, excited look on her baby cheeks. Immediately Sakura registers that this is the girl that would later tease her about her forehead.

"Sorry," Sakura says, for more reasons than one. "I have to go home."

"That's cool," Ami shrugs, before moving on to the girl next to her. Sakura releases a deep breath – she's got a lot to work on if a simple civilian _child _can startle her – even more if she can't sense her coming.

She frowns – she's been storing chakra into her Strength of One Hundred Seal, building it back up in her forehead – but perhaps her excess chakra would be better use honing her skills to the level they were before.

Sakura hops off the desk and waddles – she can't even call her walk a walk – out the door and into her courtyard. Class had finished at two, but she'd told her parents to pick her up at five. That gave her three hours to work on her training.

She supposes the first thing to do would be build up her chakra reserves – after all, as a civilian she's already disadvantaged, but she's not quite sure how to do that. Her reserves had been built up with Tsunade-sama's help, except her old mentor's techniques were much too intense and would be stilting for the growth of someone her age.

Which meant she needed specialist help – more specifically, training received by children in clans.

Then came the question of which clan. Her easiest choice is the Yamanaka, considering Ino would probably be the easiest to befriend. However the Yamanaka clan's specialised jutsu is one that requires precise chakra control – one of the reasons why Ino also learnt medical ninjutsu. And that is the one sector Sakura doesn't need help in.

That leaves the other girls – boys of course, she would never talk to. Not at this age, if she was to remain inconspicuous. Except the only other clan girl is Hinata… unless she wants to seek out girls from other years, like Kiba's sister Hana?

Sakura shakes her head. That won't do – she'd attract too much attention. Which means Hinata.

Plan formulated, Sakura steps back and waits outside the classroom for Hinata to emerge.

And indeed it's only a minute before the young girl emerges – followed by Sasuke.

Sakura's body locks up and her heart beats strong, a steady _thud thud_ against her chest. She hasn't talked to him – has seen him less than Naruto, in fact, considering how isolated the Uchiha are at this time – and this is the first time she's seen him in full, five years old and uncorrupted.

Sasuke looks up at Sakura, and his speech falters.

"Sasuke," Sakura blurts out. Then she curses inwardly – _what was that? _Immediately, she plasters a fake look of adoration. "Sasuke-kun," she corrects herself. "Hello Hinata-chan!"

"Hello," Hinata replies, calmly but firmly. "Sakura-san is it?"

Sakura nods robotically, determinedly ignoring Sasuke's penetrating gaze. Even for a five-year-old he's intimidating.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out?"

Ami emerges a second later and glares at her, along with another civilian girl. _Kami, _the back of Sakura's mind thinks, _is this what made her dislike me?_

In front of her Hinata has her lips parted in surprise, displaying the vulnerability that would overtake her later in life.

"Really?" she asks quietly.

"Yeah," Sakura says with a gentle smile. Sasuke's still staring at her.

"Wow," Hinata whispers. "No one's ever asked me that before."

Sakura's eyes soften. They were probably all too terrified. The heiress position is often stigmatised and envied to extremes. The heir position too, to be honest. She glances quickly at Sasuke – his gaze is obscured now by his bangs, but his lips are curled into a smirk. A lurch of distaste rises up her stomach – he reminds her now of the cruel and callous Sasuke who declared another war.

"Let's go now eh?" she says, resolutely ignoring the Uchiha as she turns her attention back to Hinata. "Do you like the park?"

Hinata's eyes shift to the door. "Otou-san says I should train until he picks me up."

Sakura's smile widens. Even better. "That's fine. We can do that to!"

Hinata breaks into a smile. "Really? You – you wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not," Sakura says gently.

Hinata turns back to Sasuke.

"Do you want to come?"

Sakura's heart plummets. _Say no say no say no say no-_

"Unfortunately, my mum's expecting me," Sasuke says quietly, and Sakura's heart soars. She can't face her old teammate – not like this.

"That's fine," Sakura says, a bit too quickly. She links arms with Hinata who starts before resolutely dragging the other girl away.

"So," Sakura says casually, "Uchiha Sasuke eh? Is he your friend?"

Hinata wrinkles her nose. "No! Boys have cooties! But otou-san says I should talk to him because he's the Uchiha second son…"

**.**

**Sasuke**

"…because he's the Uchiha second son."

Sasuke scoffs. That's the usual mode of thinking these days. _Because he's the second son. _Everybody sucks up to him because of his position. Girls suck up to him because of his looks. Even back then Sakura, one of the most intelligent person of their generation, was originally infatuated with him because of his looks. Nobody had ever really known _Sasuke. _

He swallows harshly as the door swings open behind him. Naruto shuffles out, brushing past him without sparing him another look. Naruto… no doubt if his friend had known what he was now planning to do he'd shout at him, try to dissuade him... But it has to be done, and Naruto's not here to stop him anyway.

And the first step is stopping the Uchiha Massacre.

Which means visiting Danzou.

Sasuke clenches his teeth. The mere mention of the man still angers him – the image of all the sharingan implanted in the man's arm will forever be burnt into his memory. He should have killed him at the Five Kage Conference and got it over and done with.

Sasuke takes a deep breath, trying to calm down his angered fever. This time, Danzou will burn – the whole structure of Konoha will burn and in its place a new system will rise – his own vision of a perfect world.

_All in due time, _he thinks to himself, _all in due time. I've waited many thirty years for this. I can wait seven more. _

But first he needs to locate Root's base. Sakura would be useful now – after all that time she spent in Root she'd know the headquarters like the back of her hand-

But Sakura's not here. She's dead. Like Naruto. A strange pang tugs at his heart but Sasuke brushes it away quickly. His plan will do them justice anyway. While they may not have seen it that way, in the end, they will understand. Like the Uchiha, like what even _Kakashi _used to say – _always look underneath the underneath. _

His parents are waiting for him at home – except waiting might not be the best word for it. After all, Itachi's ten which means that he's taking his jounin exams soon. And if his chuunin exams were anything to go by, the clan's in full swing now in preparations. So they probably won't notice if he's gone a few hours.

Mind made up, Sasuke sets off away from the Academy building and towards ANBU Headquarters – he knows where that is, at least. It should be a good starting point, considering Root is a 'branch' of ANBU. Maybe he'll even bump into Danzou, or someone from Root at least.

Sasuke pauses, right outside Konoha Markets. It wouldn't do to attract undue attention to himself, especially considering his lofty position in the clan. Politics are shaky now and tensions are high – there may be some people around who are willing to risk imprisonment to harm Fugaku's child. Especially considering that, with the way Itachi was progressing, Sasuke is the only viable target.

He quickly performs a henge, covering his main features. Uchiha Sasuke has now changed into Ukiko Ketomi, the alias he has carried for fifteen years.

Uchiha Sasuke smiles, the same fake, plastic smile he's carried for the past five years. Ukiko Ketomi has a persona vastly different to his own – in fact, the boy is jolly, not unlike Naruto in many senses. Ironic, as Naruto's alias Makito Torumi had been silent, biting and sarcastic.

A lot more nondescript in his appearance now, he weaves in easily through the crowds, eyes scanning the rooftops for any movement. Konoha Markets is situated right in the middle of Konoha for convenience's sake, which also makes it the most commonly travelled roof-top road.

He himself has used it many times – to get to the Hokage tower, to report to the administration building, to enter ANBU HQ and to visit Sakura in the hospital.

All things he will doubtfully do ever again, if his plan comes to fruition.

Finally, Sasuke spots someone of interest – a flash of black signifying an ANBU cloak. Except the figure's gone too fast to follow and Sasuke realises that _shit. _He really can't do anything right now. And his speed is _pathetic. _Kakashi was genin at three. Itachi was ANBU Captain at thirteen. So what is he doing, wasting away here?

"_Fucking hell," _he mutters, and a villager looks down at him in shock. Sasuke grimaces and darts away, as quickly as his young body can manage.

His current state is pathetic. But who can train him-

The answer hits him like a ton of bricks.

_Itachi. _

Sasuke turns on his heel and sprints, all the way back to the compound.

He only just remembers to drop his henge a corner outside the compound before he speeds in as fast as his legs will take him. The guards stare at him in confusion and bewilderment, but then again they're already used to strange behaviour from the elder Uchiha son – who's to say the little one will be any different?

Sasuke remembers euphorically to suppress his chakra, trying to test if he can get to the training dojo without being detected, and his chest is nearly bursting from excitement.

For the first time, Sasuke feels _young – _power is at his fingertips, and he's going to find it with his brother!

Sasuke skids to a halt outside the doors of the family dojo. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he raises a hand to open the door.

But it swerves open before he can. Fugaku stares down at his younger son, face expressionless.

"Sasuke," he says measuredly. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to train," Sasuke breathes, his heart hammering in his chest. He feels very much like a young child again, asking for permission from his father. And goodness – it's been so _long._

"Train?" Fugaku repeats, raising an eyebrow. "You can do that outside, can't you?"

Mikoto steps in in front of him, crouching down so that she's face-level with him. "Sasuke," she says gently. "This is a very important time for your brother, and he can't afford to have any distractions."

The old, petulant Sasuke would have complained, whined about how he wasn't a _distraction – _but this time Sasuke's _different. _He has _years _of knowledge and experience behind him.

So he declares – "Test me. Teach me and nii-san something. If I can do it just as well as he can, you have to let me train with Itachi."

If possible, Fugaku's eyebrow shoots even higher. Behind his parents, Itachi pokes his head around, peering down at his little brother.

"Ok," he says quietly.

Sasuke grins.

Fugaku sighs before opening the door further and stepping back. "Very well then, come in."

Mikoto stares at his father. "Fugaku," she whispers, "You're just going to destroy his self-confidence."

"It's on him if he fails," his father shrugs.

Sasuke smiles. He won't fail. Not if this is the test he thinks it is.

"Now," Uchiha Fugaku says, "You make six seals in this order - tiger, ram, monkey, boar, horse, tiger."

Itachi's eyes widen. Sasuke grins.

"Fire release: Giant Fireball Technique," both brothers say in sync.

"Correct," Fugaku nods. "Itachi, I've seen yours already. Sasuke, you have yet to complete this. Do you know what that means?"

"It means," Sasuke says quietly, "That you haven't been kept updated with my training."

Itachi raises an eyebrow. Mikoto smiles.

"So you still wish to proceed?"

"Very much."

"Well then," Uchiha Fugaku says, for the first time a hint of interest entering his eyes, "Let's move this outside."

.

**Naruto**

_Calmness._

_Emptiness._

_Feel nature._

_Feel the world around-_

"Shit," Naruto mutters, his eyes snapping open. His toad cheek bulges before disappearing.

"Dammit," he sighs, standing up in frustration. "This isn't going to work if I keep on stuffing up."

Naruto pouts and peers at his reflection in the pond. The faint orange of sage mode is already flittering away, leaving him worse for wear and feeling more amphibian by the minute. Except this has to be done – he's finally got a second chance, and he's tired of working for everyone's recognition.

All he wants this time around is Team 7, whole and united.

Which means that he has to accomplish two things.

First of all, he has to become strong. He's not going to just sit back anymore, and watch things like Wave, Orochimaru and Akatsuki happen again. This time he's going to be strong – strong enough to ensure that his team will never ever break apart, not if he has any say in it.

Secondly, he has to make sure Sasuke stays right where he is – which means making sure he's strong enough to ensure that Orochimaru never gets his snares onto the younger Uchiha boy.

Both of which include learning sage mode.

Of course, if Jiraiya saw him now, he'd scold him harshly – after all, it's dangerous to reconnect with nature chakra alone, especially since he's not at Mount Myouboku. But he's done it before, he _knows _how to do it, so it should be a lot safer.

But seriously though, it'd be so stupid if he got turned into a toad statue of all things on his second chance at life.

Naruto takes another deep breath, inhales, and-

"What is that kyuubi brat doing here?"

Naruto groans. Of course.

His favourite training ground is incidentally the old Team 7 training ground, which is incidentally Kakashi's favourite training ground. And it had been Kakashi's favourite training ground because it used to be the Uchiha training ground, and his old sensei had enjoyed parading his sharingan in front of the Uchiha.

Naruto breaks his meditation pose and stares in annoyance at the intruders. It's another pair of teenagers again this time – the gate guards? – but behind them follow the main family.

Naruto groans. Really? They're usually never here because they have their own dojo. Which means that the only reason they're here is to practice big and dangerous jutsu. Kami Itachi's only ten can't they give him a break?

Then another figure emerges, and it's Sasuke.

Naruto freezes.

_Okay, _he thinks, _time to get the hell out of here._

The teenage Uchiha is still waving his fist at him, so Naruto quickly turns tail and runs away into the foliage surrounding Training Ground 23.

Except Itachi and Sasuke, congregated in one place? This will be something interesting.

He jumps up into the trees, seamlessly masking his chakra – an extremely high rank technique that Sakura had created, one almost infallible, and one perfectly suited to him. It simply required massive amounts of chakra and not a lot of control. Sakura could only maintain it a few minutes top, but he could last upwards an hour.

Beneath him, Fugaku and Mikoto stand to the side. Itachi steps forward first and his hand whirls through seals, almost too fast for his eyes to pick up on.

"Fire release: Giant Fireball Technique."

And then the whole forest illuminates, the flames so large that Naruto can practically feel the heat against his skin. It's apparent now the Uchiha's true genius.

Sasuke steps up next, and his hands whirl through the same seals – except he's slower, his movements accented by the fumbling of a child. Naruto winces – Sasuke's in for a humiliation.

And he doesn't want to see this. There's something strange, something heartbreaking about seeing a boy so innocent corrupted by clan politics.

So Naruto jumps off the trees and hurries away, feet flying through the forest back towards Konoha.

And then suddenly, there's a loud _boom. _It ricochets through his ears, and he feels something scorching his back.

He breathes in, feels ash and smoke clog his lungs, and he turns back.

The forest in burnt black with fire. In the middle of it stands the Uchiha main family. Sasuke's chest is heaving.

Naruto pauses. Did _Sasuke _produce that fireball? Impossible. No one that age could do it, except for maybe Itachi-

Of course. Itachi must have performed it again.

Anyway, he has bigger things to worry about than the Uchiha coming-of-age passage. He needs to become strong again, so that no matter what befalls Konoha he will be strong enough to protect the people he loves.

Naruto shoots off through the forest again, using chakra to enhance his speed. It's a useful technique he's been employing – it allows him to make his way through the village at a speed too fast to be recognised by civilians, meaning that he escapes the usual taunting, while also allowing him to practice his chakra control.

He's always only been able to employ big, powerful techniques. This was actually a training exercise Sakura had suggested to him before-

He swallowed harshly, his step faltering for a second before he regains his balance.

-before she died.

She had told him that it was a technique usually used in emergencies, for it required quite both a substantial chakra reserve as well as control. However, this technique was unique because it could be adapted to be performed with a massive chakra reserve and less control. It allowed him to gradually reduce the amount of chakra he used until he could stabilise his control. After all – the rasengan, one of his biggest weapons, needs a certain amount of control – control he doesn't have right now.

He slows down his speed as he enters Konoha Markets, making sure not to attract too much extra attention from the ninja – everyone knows the Markets are hotspots for ninja. But the walk to the Hokage tower is only five minutes from there anyway.

He had spent the first few years of his life rummaging around Konoha library for anything that would be of use – but there had been nothing. Konoha library is communal, and that means that there's nothing worthy training-related in there. But he had tried anyway – after all, he had nowhere else to try, did he?

But that had been back then. He hadn't been strong enough yet, and he hadn't been officially instilled in as an active member of the Konoha forces. Now that he'd begun his first day at the Academy he had a small level of clearance – enough to get him inside the Hokage Tower without a special invite from the Hokage himself.

After all, when he had been younger, the only way he could get into the Tower was through a special invitation from the Hokage himself. It was the same with all civilians – it ensured that they wouldn't be poking their heads into ninja business. If they had complaints or requests, they could submit a request to the Hokage or go to the administration building. But the Hokage Tower was strictly off limits.

But – now that he can get in, he'll be able to explore the area to his liking. Though he doesn't have the clearance to look at any records or books in the Tower, he has the skills to do it secretly.

It's a little known fact – one, in fact, that _he _hadn't even known about until his Hokage training – but since the Hokage practically spend their lives in the tower, they have their own, private library to dig into for their leisure. It also doubles as a secret evacuation room, hidden in a chamber underneath the tower. In case of enemy attack, visiting foreign dignitaries could be led there blindfolded. The path to the library was also ambiguous, and full of long winding staircases to trick the dignitaries into thinking they'd left the tower, when really they were simply underneath it.

Except that often means that getting to the library is a lot more trouble than it's really worth – it's much easier for the Hokage to simply summon a chuunin to grab him whatever he needs. So while most of the stuff down there is probably outdated, Naruto's also quite certain that no one will notice anything missing.

Unfortunately, there's nothing too drastic in the library – nothing like the Scroll of Seals – but it'll be enough to get him some basic techniques – techniques which will _help him _stealthe Scroll of Seals.

Naruto halts at the entrance of the Hokage tower. A few ninja standing in the reception turn at his presence – some grimace, but most just ignore him.

Nevertheless, he proudly walks through the door. And this time, he _knows _he's cleared their security system because no chuunin comes to escort him out.

Naruto casually strolls past the reception and towards the general staircase. Except this time, rather than taking the stairs up, he climbs over the railing onto the other side and leans down, feeling for the cracked panel which signifies the entrance to the library.

He contemplates setting up a sound jutsu – after all, the opening of the panel makes the same noise as the front door (another trick for the blindfolded dignitaries), but his control isn't that good yet – he could barely do the jutsu at full strength – so it'd be better not to risk it. Sakura used to take care of stuff like this, and if he stuffs it up his burst of chakra will only bring some ninja over, which will lead to questions he doesn't want to answer.

Old school it is then.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu," he whispers. A second Naruto appears who jumps back over the railing, walking back into the reception.

He counts to ten in his head and clicks open the panel, just as his clone dramatically trips and smashes a potted plant.

There's groaning and shouting on the other side, and his clone quickly makes a dash for it – chased by ninja, of course. Naruto takes the opportunity to slide down into the crevice and closes the panel up behind him, sealing himself in. His clone will disappear once it's far away enough from the ninja, so as not to cause suspicion.

In the meantime, Naruto whispers a fire jutsu and blows. It's weak – his chakra control is rubbish, and he's no fire elemental either – but it's bright enough just to show him where the torch is stashed.

He quickly makes his way over and grabs the torch, whispering another fire jutsu to light it – whoever would have thought he'd be using Sasuke's favourite jutsu, this many years in the future – or the past?

Shaking his head, Naruto continues his way through the dugout cavern.

It's a long path, one whch makes its way all the way to Konoha markets before spiralling back. It's a long walk, but Naruto doesn't want to risk running. His torch might disappear and he can't read without light – it's only equipped with enough fuel for one journey. In fact, he'd need to go and buy more to replace this trip.

Finally, he reaches the stone door which guards the library/evacuation room. It's protected by a seal, which is new, but Naruto's seen enough seals to last him a lifetime – two, in fact.

This one's a simple one anyway – but he supposes the only person in this lifetime who really knows seals is Jiraiya, and the toad-nin would never need to break into a library such as this. So it _is_ useful against intruders he supposes. Just not him.

A few jolts of chakra to the pressure points of the seal cracks it open, and the doors swing wide.

The torch won't last much longer, so he'll need to pick his books quick.

A quick scan of the library confirms that the layout is pretty much the same as it was before. He heads straight to the ninja textbooks. He grabs as many as he thinks he can fit under his jumper without looking inconspicuous – _The Sealing Theory. Minato Namikaze. The Seven Fundamental Rules a Ninja should Know and Perfect. Ebisu. Taijutsu at its finest. Maito Juno. _

_The Causes of War and its Devastating Effects. _


	3. The Hyuuga Kidnapping

**Sasuke**

"Who have you been training with?" Itachi asks.

Sasuke grimaces, freezing half way down the stairs. He had thought no one was home, but Itachi sits on the couch, at home for once, reading another one of Konoha's historical encyclopaedias. He'll definitely need to improve his sensory skills.

"Training with?" Sasuke repeats cautiously, slowly recommencing his walk down the stairs.

"Yes," Itachi replies calmly. "Your skills are much better than the Uchiha elders had predicted. Evidently you've had help. Who?"

Sakura pauses. He _hadn't _been training with anyone. The reason his progress is so drastic this time around is because there's no more hit-and-miss with his training – this time Sasuke knows what to do, and how do it. But Itachi can't know that. He's smart – smart enough to know truthfully that the old Sasuke would have never achieved this level of progress without outside help.

"…Hyuuga Hinata," he finally says. It's the most plausible option he can think of on the spot – they're both in the same Academy class, and she is, at least in the Uchiha's eyes, strong enough to help him improve. She's also a Hyuuga – an added bonus – as it meant that hopefully the Uchiha would be less willing to chase her down to verify his story.

"The Hyuuga heiress…" Itachi muses, placing the encyclopaedia on his lap. "Interesting. Have you seen her recently?"

Was this a trick? Sasuke always got the feeling that Itachi was playing him, manipulating him in some way or another.

"No," he decides to say, staying on the safe side.

Itachi continues to eye him steadily, as if waiting for him to say something else. But Sasuke doesn't know what to say – even know, his brother still seems like an untouchable idol, someone who doesn't feel quite real to him.

His brother smiles sadly. "Why don't you go and see father now Sasuke? I hear he promised you a master instructor in a field you see fit to help with your training."

Sasuke nods briskly before closing his eyes, trying to reach out with his chakra to pinpoint his father's location.

"Is he in the dining room?" he tries.

Itachi smiles. "Close. He's in the meeting room."

Sasuke sighs – it _was _close. The two rooms are next to each other but his sensory skills are still a bit muffled. Then again, all this chakra perception and control had never been his forte – that had always been Karin's, or Sakura's.

"Go on now," Itachi prods.

"Yeah yeah," Sasuke mutters, rolling his eyes. He makes his way through the house, noticing that it's strangely empty for this time of the day. It's five o'clock – usually prime time for ninja to be returning from missions, reporting to his father. Or at least the cooks would have started preparing for dinner. But his otou-san is in the meeting room. What was going on?

A little eavesdropping seems to be in order. After all, how's he going to begin the intricate task of stopping the massacre without knowing all the details?

He suppresses his chakra a few hallways away from the meeting room – the only skill he's managed to somewhat master. He should be safe from detection, especially if they aren't looking for him.

Sasuke quickly slips into the dining room and presses himself against the wall. He sends chakra to his ears – Sakura's signature technique, actually, but she doesn't know he's copied it – and amplifies his hearing.

"-kidnapped."

"The heiress?" A gravelled voice grounds out. It has that familiar croaking sound of the balding Elder Mako.

"Yes." – His father. "The Hyuuga have retrieved her though. She's quite shaken, and seems to have withdrawn in on herself. Hyuuga Hinata is much weaker now, and will be no competition for Sasuke. He will be the strongest of his class."

Sasuke tenses. Hinata had been kidnapped? Had this happened the last time around? But then again, when he talked to her before she _had_ seemed a lot more outgoing than she was previously. So this was supposed to happen?

Unsure, Sasuke presses his ears closer to the wall.

"What's going to happen?"

"They want Hiashi's body."

"All the better for us!"

"No. They're sending his twin."

"Aa. He's the one with the son – the boy genius, they're calling him?"

"Yes. Hyuuga Neji. Maybe with his father gone we can make a move. The byakugan is strong in that boy."

Sasuke reels back. Had the Uchiha coveted the byakugan? He'd never known. Were there plans for the extraction of the byakugan? Was this part of their rebellion against the city? Would these plans have gone through without the massacre?

"We shall have to see. Are the informants in the Hyuuga still loyal?"

"Yes Elder Mako."

"Good. I've also been thinking… Fugaku, how's the sharingan in that boy of yours?"

"Itachi is becoming quite adept. On his last mission he managed to genjutsu a whole squad of jounin."

"Wonderful. Maybe we'll get him to do the same to the Hyuuga informants. Speaking of informants though, we must look through the clan again. The Hyuuga have people within, I'm sure of it, and the Hokage does too. We need all the help we can get. Maybe it's time bringing that boy of yours to these meetings."

"I am sure Itachi will be honoured," Fugaku says graciously.

"Wonderful," Elder Mako says quietly. "Now. I believe I sensed your second child nearby Fugaku. Perhaps he is looking for you. After all, I heard about that impressive display of the Giant Fireball Technique. As good as Itachi's was, his was maybe even better. How is Sasuke's progress? What instructor do you have in mind for him?"

"As you said," a female voice cuts in sharply. Sasuke starts – Mikoto – his mother is at this meeting too. Whatever they were discussing must've been important. He frowns – he'll have to be more vigilant. He can't miss important meetings like these.

"As you said," his mother repeats, softer, "You sensed Sasuke nearby. Let's not keep him waiting, or have him eavesdrop on something not meant for young ears, eh?"

There's a beat of silence in the room.

"Of course," Elder Mako says graciously. "This meeting is adjourned. Fugaku, feel free to find your second son."

Sasuke clenches his teeth and darts out the dining room, shooting through the hallways before he can be spotted by anyone coming out of the meeting room. All he had gotten from that conversation was a kidnapping of Hyuuga Hinata and the gradual induction of Itachi into the Uchiha higher circles.

Wait.

Itachi had sent him here after their conversation about Hyuuga Hinata. And, coincidentally, allowed him to eavesdrop on the-

_Of course._

If Hyuuga Hinata had been kidnapped, he couldn't have been training with her. Which meant when his father asked him-

"Sasuke."

Sasuke whirls around.

"O-otou-san," he stutters. He _really _needs to work on his sensory skills. Except he's never really had to before, not with Karin and Sakura around, and he's not quite sure how to go about doing it.

"Now, we agreed that it would be impossible for you to keep up with Itachi's training regime, so an instructor is in order."

"Yes," Sasuke nods, feeling as though he should add 'sir' considering to the menacing stare of his father's.

"Is there a field you would prefer? Or would you like a general instructor?"

Sasuke pauses. His father is being unusually generous. He must have something planned – but what?

"Kenjutsu," Sasuke says, but it comes out more as a question than an answer.

"Nonsense," his father says immediately. "Physically you are not yet capable of doing well in kenjutsu. Pick something else."

Sasuke opens his mouth.

"Actually," his father cuts in, "You shall have a general instructor. The Elders and I believe that your skill set is most partial to speed and ninjutsu. I know of someone who may help."

"Not Ebisu," Sasuke blurts out.

His father raises an eyebrow. "You know of him?"

Unfortunately. "Yes," Sasuke grits out.

"…it is not him. Your instructor will be an _Uchiha."_

"Of course," Sasuke says quickly.

"I believe," Fugaku says, something faintly reminiscent of a smile on his face, "that you have heard of Uchiha Shisui?"

Sasuke's head shoots up. Yes – but only as the cousin whom Itachi killed.

"He is known as Shisui of the Body Flicker," his father says. The name rings a bell in Sasuke and he recalls the famed technique – it's the closest he can get to _fast_, not counting the Fourth Hokage.

"Thank you," Sasuke says quietly.

"It was your brother's idea," Fugaku says gruffly, turning away. "He convinced Shisui to go along with it."

Sasuke nods, his throat bobbing.

"Oh," Fugaku says, turning back. "And before I go, who have you been training with Sasuke? Your progress has been quite impressive. Even Elder Mako has noticed, and he is not easy to please."

"Yamanaka Ino," he says quickly. "I've been training with Yamanaka Ino." She's similar enough to Hinata – his father's sense of strength comes from the last name, and Yamanaka is respectable. Plus, she likes him enough to back him up, should the need arise.

"Interesting," his father muses. "Well, I hear Shisui has just gotten back from his mission. He's probably at Training Ground 7 training. Why don't you go and see him?"

.

**Sakura**

Sakura glances up at the sun again – it's 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and Hinata is _a whole hour _late. Which is monumental, considering it's _Hinata. _

Which is… strange, to say the least.

Granted, Hinata hadn't been at school for the last week or two, but Sakura had thought that'd just been because of some clan business or something. Or maybe she'd been sick.

But whatever it was, she knows that Hinata would've sent her a message to let her know she couldn't make their training session, especially since this one had been in planning for a month – it'd been quite hard for two five year olds to book Training Ground 8, and Hinata had had to pull heiress status. So she would've definitely let her know if she couldn't make it - Hinata was polite like that anyway.

It doesn't help that next to her on Training Ground 7, Uchiha Shisui is training like there's no tomorrow.

Or maybe he's just training.

Whatever he's doing though, it still highlights to Sakura the tremendous power gap she has to overcome.

Uchiha Shisui jumps up into the sky and flings ten kunai down onto the ground. Then, a millisecond later, he flickers to the ground and tries to catch the kunai. He manages eight – the rings land perfectly onto his fingers – but the other two he misses.

One kunai slices open his left hand, the other lands harmlessly on the ground. He sighs and pockets his kunai again, reaching for his bag.

He pulls out a strip of medical gauze and Sakura resists the urge to call out – _I can heal that for you!_

She does need practice – she hasn't healed a single person since coming back in fear of blowing her cover. Maybe once she trains a bit more she'll be able to hold a genjutsu long enough for her to intern at the hospital or something like that.

She flexes her muscles and closes her eyes, concentrating on her chakra. She's trying to rebuild her Strength of One Hundred Seal on her forehead but it's pathetic at the moment. Granted, she's still five, but the Seal is so weak that not even a hint of purple is showing. A good thing, she supposes, considering that she doesn't need to cover up her forehead with a ribbon or anything to hide it.

Funny, she thinks, considering that the bullying will give her the perfect excuse to hide her forehead.

But there's no improvement without actual work so Sakura tries to concentrate on her chakra again, measuring her reserves. They're small, probably half the size of Sasuke's, but they _have_ grown considerably since she's started training with Hinata. Her control also mitigates her pathetic size a bit – in a fight, stamina wise, she should hopefully last just as long as Sasuke.

Luckily, there has been one aspect she's managed to build up to her previous level – her sensory skills. That, along with a few other chakra-suppressing techniques are ones which only require a small chakra reserve and a near perfect control.

And- _woah._

_Sasuke alert._

Sakura sighs.

_Not. Cool._

She is way too tired for his shit. She should go visit Hinata, see what's holding her up. Maybe there's trouble brewing there? Who knew with the Hyuuga. Granted, they had stabilised a lot after the massacre of the Uchiha, but the Hyuuga were always just as messed up – they were just better at hiding it.

Sasuke's still rapidly approaching and Sakura takes that as her signal to get the hell out of dodge. She tears out of the compound and into the nearby foliage, cleanly escaping the training grounds.

_And…. There he is._

"Sasuke!" she hears Uchiha Shisui exclaim. "Fugaku told me you'd be coming here."

_Oh really?_

Sakura pauses before silently jumping into the treetops. Sakura's speciality has always been medical ninjutsu, Sasuke's his sharingan/chidori, and Naruto his kage bunshin/rasengan. But on the larger scale, something Sakura can say she is _soundly _better than the boys is this – staying hidden. If she doesn't want to be seen, Sakura is not going to be seen.

She spikes chakra to her ears and listens. While Shisui seems boisterous enough for an Uchiha, they're still silent compared to the rest of the world.

"Itachi says you're a great kid-" Sakura resists the urge to scoff "-and he said that you'd be interested in making yourself a bit faster, eh?"

Sakura peers through the trees.

"Yeah," Sasuke nods. "I do. It's my strength."

"Oh," Shisui says, stroking his chin absentmindedly. He's a lot more expressive than most Uchihas, Sakura notes, but that makes him all the more dangerous too.

"Well then, today we are definitely _not _working on your speed."

Sasuke's head shoots up in surprise.

"What?" he says unintelligibly.

"There's no point in working on what you're good at until you've become unbad enough to make it effective."

"Unbad," Sasuke repeats.

"Yep," Shisui grins. "Now fight me."

Then before Sasuke can respond he lunges forward.

_Sasuke's going to get smashed, _Sakura thinks vindictively.

But Sasuke dodges – faster than she had ever expected five-year-old Sasuke to react. _She _probably wouldn't have been able to do that at _chuunin – _that was a reaction time achieved through pure grit and _experience _alone.

But the fight continues on before she can ponder any more on his dodge. Shisui seems to be going easy, refraining from using ninjutsu, but Sasuke obviously doesn't have the same qualms.

His hands constantly form seals and he shoots jutsu after jutsu towards Shisui – jutsu she's _sure _a five-year-old should _not _know.

Shisui still has the upper hand, but that's to be expected from one of the clan's most powerful members.

But Sasuke is _good. _

His speed is fast, his ninjutsu pretty spot on too, and though he hasn't tried genjutsu Sakura knows that with a brother like Itachi he can't be too shabby at it either. His taijutsu is slightly lacking, but that's a problem future Sasuke certainly doesn't have.

The fight ends quickly, and Shisui begins giving pointers to Sasuke, but Sakura is still stuck frozen in the tree.

She feels weak.

For the first time since she was a genin, Sakura feels honestly, genuinely _weak. _

The fight had exemplified that.

While she's been simply going along with her life, Sasuke had somehow gotten strong.

Or maybe he hasn't changed. Maybe she isn't as strong as she'd thought. Maybe her training sessions with Hinata haven't been enough. She can't keep up with someone like Sasuke, someone with clan training, simply through association.

Yes, she has to keep the past predictable. But then again, she can make a _few _changes. Only really big, important things would need to happen. Big things like the Uchiha massacre.

Sakura sours at the thought of it. The massacre had destroyed Sasuke, but it had prevented a civil war. Not even future Naruto had really understood the intricacies of the topic and he'd been Hokage. It's a good thing that she's the one who's back as the other two would've had grandiose ideas of stopping it – but Sakura understands that it needs to happen. Naruto would have eventually backed her up – but Sasuke wouldn't have. Perhaps she would have become his next target for revenge.

Goodness, she needs to stop thinking as if the two of her teammates are still here. It's only her, and she's _weak. _

She's _weak, _and she needs to _change that._

Sakura swivels round determinedly and shunshins to the Hyuuga compound – not walk, like she usually does – she needs to practice her skills. She needs to get better, _stronger-_

Sakura takes a deep breath and walks towards the gate.

"Hello," she says quietly. "I'm here to see Hyuuga Hinata."

The chuunin guard looks down quizzically at the five year old girl. Where had she come from anyway? But she seems the heiress' age. Must be a friend. Who knew the heiress had those?

"Hinata-sama is indisposed," he says quietly before pausing. "I mean Hinata-sama is-"

"-unable to see me I know what indisposed means I'm not an idiot," the five year old grumbles. "And _obviously _I know she's indisposed otherwise I wouldn't have come here, now would I? Now is she sick or something?"

"…or something," the other chuunin guard cuts in ambiguously.

"Cut the crap," Sakura says, rolling her eyes. "Tell me what happened."

The chuunin guard frowns. "Now look here you-"

Sakura rolls her eyes and shoots forward. Time to _really _test her skills. She has no senbon on her – she needs to buy some, now that she thinks of it – so she has to rely on her fingernails. Evidently not expecting an attack the first guard is caught unawares and she digs her fingers into his neck sending a jolt of chakra into his pressure point.

He collapses down unconscious before a hand grabs her shirt and yanks her back.

That's right. The other chuunin guard.

"What the _hell _do you think you're-"

But he doesn't get to finish his sentence because she kicks back, right underneath the knee. If Sakura's ever been anything, it's accurate. He buckles but he regains his balance quickly. Except his momentary pain had caused him to loosen his grip on her shirt just slightly.

Sakura pulls back her fist and punches.

The guard raises an arm, hand reaching out to block her hit but he's not expecting this – _no one _is expecting the chakra laden behind her punch.

Even though she's five, Sakura shatters his bones. Chakra is _power _bitch.

He hisses and snarls, his eyes whirling into byakugan-

But it's too late. Sakura pounces on his again and jabs his pressure point too. His eyes widen and he collapses, neatly falling on top of the other chuunin guard.

Sakura smirks. So she's still got it. Bet Sasuke couldn't do _that._

But she'll need to genjutsu them, make them forget what happened-

_Oh crap._

Sakura hears the footsteps coming leisurely towards her. She had forgotten this was the _Hyuuga _compound – everyone inside had probably seen the entire battle.

"Now," a stern voice says from behind her, "You just injured two of my most dedicated gate guards."

Sakura swirls around. An old man stands in front of her – wearing the traditional Hyuuga kimono. That means only one thing – he's an elder, and if the gold embroidered around his clothes are any indication, a powerful one too.

Swallowing harshly, Sakura bows her head politely. "My apologies. I just wanted to speak to Hinata-chan."

The old man surveys her quietly. "Hinata-chan?"

"Yes," Sakura replies respectfully. "She's my friend."

"Is she?" the elder muses quietly, "Come with me."

Sakura nods obediently and trails after him, not daring to question his motives. He leads her inside the main house and through a myriad of hallways, starkly silent the whole time. The Hyuuga scattered around don't seem too interested in her, but then again for all she knows they could be watching her from the back of their heads.

Finally, they reach a large ornamental door.

"This is Hinata-sama's room," the elder says quietly. "You may speak to her."

Sakura looks up in surprise – is he really trusting someone who just knocked out two of their guards to be alone and unsupervised with the heiress?

But then again, she wasn't really alone and unsupervised, considering the Hyuuga's uncanny abilities.

"Thanks," she says quickly. The elder nods and ambles away, no doubt to converse with the other elders about the strange pink-haired little girl.

_Great, _Sakura thinks. Her little moment of passion had brought her into the limelight.

But it can't be helped. She knocks twice on the large wooden door.

There's no response.

Sakura knocks again.

"Hinata?" she calls quietly, "It's me. Sakura."

No response. Sakura bites her lip.

"Hinata?" she tries again, "Are you okay?"

Finally the door creaks open a small crack.

Hinata peers out, curled in on herself, normally pale eyes ringed with red.

"Sa-Saku-chan?" she whispers quietly.

"Oh Hinata," Sakura breathes. "What happened?"

The door opens wider and Sakura slides in. The room itself is surprisingly simple for the luxurious Hyuuga compound. There's a small bed pushed against the wall, a small square window, and a bookshelf. It looks extremely…unheiress like.

But she doesn't have too long to ponder on the state of Hinata's affairs. The heiress shrinks back to her bed and bundles up against her covers again.

"Hinata," Sakura says gently, "What happened?"

Hinata's fingers curl around the edge of her duvet.

"I- _C-cloud…"_

Hinata begins sobbing and Sakura locks up. She feels as if she's back at the hospital again, with Hinata and Naruto, telling Hinata the bad news – that Pein's attack had caused her infertility.

Sakura shakes her head quickly, ridding herself of her thoughts. She's in the present now, and she must stick to it.

"It's going to be okay," she murmurs softly, placing an arm around the heiress and rubbing gentle circles against her arm with her thumb. She contemplates sending massaging jolts of chakra across her back – it's an effective method – tried and tested with hundreds of war veterans who'd gone to the hospital after the Fourth Ninja War, suffering from PTSD. But that would probably send alarm signals to all the Hyuuga no doubt looking into Hinata's room right now.

"I'm here for when you're ready to talk," Sakura opts to say instead, continuing to pat her gently.

Hinata hiccups and reaches a hand out across Sakura to grab a tissue.

"C-cloud," Hinata manages to repeat between hiccups. "They took- they- they-"

But then the heiress's words become too gargled to understand. Sakura continues to rub comforting circles on her back, silently trying to piece together what'd happened.

She thinks back to her past life, and all the events she had studied. The only thing that had stood out to her immensely that had happened during her childhood was the Uchiha massacre, but there _must _have been something before that…

_Come on, _she thinks to herself, _you've organised Tsunade's files enough times you should _know-

"That's right," Sakura breathes.

There'd been a Hyuuga kidnapping. Tsunade had once made her read over it so that she could complete a diplomatic mission to Cloud. Hyuuga Hinata had been kidnapped by cloud ninja and Neji's father had to be killed-

She could prevent that though, couldn't she?

Sakura shakes her head. Not really. She's not strong enough. Not at this age. She can't deal with clan politics now. Neji she can't help, but she _can _help Hinata. In fact, that would be a win-win situation.

Sakura shoots up, nearly giving herself whiplash.

"Sakura?" Hinata sniffles, looking up at her determined friend with wide eyes.

"I'll be right back," Sakura whispers.

Then she runs out. She contemplates using shunshin, but she doesn't know the compound well enough. As it is now, she has to find the elders through her senses alone. And Hyuuga are notoriously hard to find.

Well, as it is, if she does find them it'll only strengthen her argument.

"_Yes_," Sakura grins as she locks onto the elder's chakra signature. She halts in her path and immediately segways towards him, passing many stunned Hyuuga.

"Hi," she finally says when she reaches him, scattering to a halt.

The elder looks down at her. "Hello."

"I need to speak to you," Sakura huffs. Then she frowns – if that much work had gotten her tired she'd need to work on her physical health.

The elder looks down at her speculatively.

"Alright then," he says finally says, "Go on."

"Not here," Sakura says determinedly. "And you might want to call in the other elders."

He eyes her carefully. "You know I'm an elder?"

"Yes," Sakura nods. "You have on the traditional Hyuuga garb."

"Impressive knowledge for a civilian child."

Sakura's not surprised he knows who she is. Most clans, especially ones as shrewd as the Hyuuga, keep tabs on their children and their associates.

"Very well," he says. "Luka, call Arumi and Juu."

Sakura can't see anyone near them, but she supposes the Hyuuga have their own strange way of communicating.

Seemingly satisfied that his order has been heard, the elder waves a hand. "Follow me," he says, and this time Sakura pays careful attention to their path. After all, she's sure he's taking her to the Hyuuga meeting room.

When they arrive, Sakura notices that their meeting room is the luxury that she had expected of Hinata's bedroom – a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, plush seats and a polished mahogany table.

"Take a seat," the elder gestures. A branch member rushes forward and places a pile of cushions onto a chair.

Eloquently, using all the poise she'd learnt as a dignitary for Tsunade, Sakura jumps onto the chair. With all the cushions under her, she is somewhat eyelevel with the rest of the chairs.

The elder takes a seat opposite her and eyes her. He's trying to intimidate her but Sakura's had the _Raikage _try and fail. A Hyuuga elder is nothing.

His gaze finally relents when the other two elders join him.

"What's happening Hoshiko? This better be important." The woman – Arumi? – turns her annoyed stare to Sakura.

"You, child. What do you want."

She can't let her attitude bother her. If there's anything she's learnt from her countless diplomatic missions as Tsunade's right hand, it's that you must maintain your cool, no matter what the opposition does.

"It has come to my attention," Sakura says measuredly, "That Hinata-sama's life was placed in jeopardy recently."

Juu leans back. "Impressive vocabulary for a kid." Arumi continues to eye her hardly while Hoshiko watches the whole proceeding with a level stare.

"I propose, in the interest of Hinata's safety, I be trained as her bodyguard."

"Unnecessary," Arumi snaps. "She has one."

"Hyuuga Neji?" Sakura raises an eyebrow.

All three elders snap to her.

"How do you know?" Juu asks quietly. "You. A civilian girl."

"Hinata-sama told me," Sakura fibs, her façade twice as confident as she is within. "And do you think he can effectively carry on with his duty when his father dies in front of her? Do you think he will be free of resentment?"

Hoshiko's eyes narrow. Sakura notices shadows begin to congregate outside the door. Hyuuga ninja are ready for the order to incapacitate her if she proves to be a threat.

"You know too much girl. How?"

"It was the logical, obvious answer," Sakura says slowly. She doesn't want to get Hinata in trouble so she can't keep saying that Hinata's supplied her with information. Plus, Hinata probably doesn't even know about the plan. So that means she has to use her twenty-five year old brain backed with experience and insider knowledge to answer a question a five year old would definitely _not _be able to.

"Cloud operates under the motto _'a head for a head'. _It has a history of settling disputes over an exchange of dead bodies. For example, twenty years ago, a Suna ninja caused the death of a Kumo ninja as a by-product of his mission. In return, the Raikage asked for the head of a Suna ninja of the same rank. That same year, such a Suna ninja was sent on a diplomatic mission to Kumo, from which he never returned."

Juu leans back slowly. "You are well read too."

Sakura nods sharply. "In regards to your situation, it seems logical that they would ask for the head of the head of the clan in exchange for the many deaths. And to prevent outright war from occurring, the Hokage will agree. So the Hyuuga are in a predicament. However there is a solution – the clan head has a twin. Father of Neji Hyuuga, bodyguard of Hinata. Now how effective do you think this bodyguard will be, knowing that his father is dead as a direct result of his 'protectee'."

There is silence as the elders watch her with guarded eyes. Only Juu has a small smile on his face.

"Plus," Sakura adds quickly, "They're not in the same year. Me and Hina-chan, we are. And she told me about Neji, so you know she trusts me."

Hoshiko purses his lips. Arumi leans over and whispers something in his ear. Sakura resists the urge to eavesdrop – the Hyuuga elders are strung tight right now, and any fluctuation in her chakra will label her an immediate threat, especially with all the information she has just divulged. And she doesn't want the shadows behind her to pounce.

Juu eyes Hoshiko too, and an unspoken agreement seems to pass between them. Finally Hoshiko turns back to her.

"Haruno Sakura," he says carefully, "Daughter of Haruno Tsubasa and Teru Nanami. Civilian. Uncle Haruno Toketsu – chuunin."

Sakura stares back at him, chin up.

"And…that's it," Hoshiko says, leaning back. "No more ninja in your family. The Haruno were never really prominent in the line of things. But you…you show… potential."

_Potential_, Sakura thinks. That's good enough for her.

"Potential can be explored," Sakura says cautiously.

"Yes," Hoshiko nods. "And it shall be. Let us talk training."

Suddenly, his eyes flicker to the door. A few moments later it opens. A Hyuuga jounin stands at the door, teeth tightly clenched.

"Intruder alert," he grits out.

Arumi stands up immediately.

"You!" she says, whirling around and pointing at Sakura as if the debacle is her fault. "Stay here. Do not move. We will talk later."

Hoshiko and Juu stand up after her and the three waltz out. The Hyuuga jounin eyes Sakura carefully before closing the door behind him.

Sakura hears the distinct click of a lock.

She sighs.

_Well this is just great._

_._

**Naruto**

He had taken a risk. A big risk. And…

It had backfired.

_Major._

_Breathe deep, _Naruto told himself.

Then he heard the footsteps.

_Breathe quietly, _he amended.

One of the books he had taken from the library had pointed towards a certain Hyuuga text on chakra direction – a technique which would somehow reverse the flow of chakra to help with the unblocking of tenkutsu points after the Gentle Fist. It worked because it went against the natural flow of chakra, which made it incredibly destructive, allowing the blocked points to effectively 'explode', thus opening them again.

And he wanted to do that – except with the rasengan. It was powerful enough, sure, but if he reversed the flow of his chakra the whole things would become much more deadly, and could be the fraction of difference needed to beat an opponent like Orochimaru.

_Or Sasuke's chidori._

Naruto shakes his head quickly, ridding his thoughts. It's been five years. And this time around Sasuke and him will be _friends. _

Plus, he needs to get out of the Hyuuga compound first.

A certain attempt at stealing the scroll had… failed. Spectacularly. He had severely overestimated his own abilities. Sure, his future self would have been able to do it, not that he would've needed to as he was the Hokage and could do whatever the hell he wanted, but he had thought his carried over experience and knowledge would somehow turn him Uchiha Itachi level overnight.

Evidently, it didn't.

On the bright side, he _did _manage to steal the scroll. On the other hand, he had tripped multiple alarms while doing so.

Which means that now, his first and well, only priority, is to get the hell out of the Hyuuga Compound.

Not that it's going to be easy, considering the bunch of them practically have eyes on the back of their heads.

So all he can say is really _thank kami for kage bunshin. _

That's probably got the Hyuuga all confused.

The footsteps are getting closer.

_Well this is great, _Naruto thinks as he lies crouched behind the stairs. They're pretty much guaranteed to find him now, unless he can somehow take them down and make a run for it? Unlikely. They'd probably have him flat out on his back in a second.

Except the footsteps are unusually loud. The Hyuuga are usually silent, vigilant, and none of them would be careless enough to announce their presence so obviously in front of an intruder.

So… a trap?

No time to think on it now though – the footsteps have arrived.

Naruto springs out from behind the stairs, holding the scroll up in the air as a weapon-

"_Hinata_?"

Hinata squeaks, stumbling back.

"N-N-Naruto-kun!"

The two children stare at each other until Naruto suddenly remembers his situation.

His eyes widen and he reaches out and grabs the heiress, pulling her under the staircase with him.

"Wha-" she squeaks again, but Naruto fumbles over and claps a hand over her mouth.

"Shh," he whispers, "They're chasing me."

Hinata's eyes widen and she begins to struggle against his arms.

"Shh!" Naruto repeats desperately. "Please. Just trust me."

Hinata's begins to hyperventilate but she stops struggling. Naruto holds her helplessly, half of him on the alert for other Hyuuga presence, the other one trying to figure out how to get her to calm down. Eventually though, she manages to quieten, and stop moving.

Cautiously, he removes his hand.

Hinata shoots up immediately. "Naruto-kun?" she whispers harshly. "What are you doing?"

Naruto smiles sheepishly and holds up the scroll. "Wanted this."

Hinata looks at the scroll, then at him, and seemingly shrugs.

Naruto clears his throat uncomfortably in the ensuing silence.

"So…" he says awkwardly, "What were you doing?"

"Getting some food," Hinata replies quietly. "I've been in my room for a whole day now. Haven't eaten at all."

"Wow," Naruto breathes. "That _sucks. _How come?"

Hinata shrugs and looks away.

Naruto frowns – this isn't the Hinata he knows. She isn't dismissive, she isn't an ignorer, she isn't a- a _giver-upper._

"Hinata?" he prods gently, "What happened?"

Hinata's lip begins to tremble, and Naruto thinks _holy shit I've made her cry._

_It's been _years _since he's made a girl cry. _

"Oh Hinata," he says desperately. He reaches forward and pats her on the head, but she latches onto his arm and sobs onto his sleeve. Naruto tenses up, unsure of how to respond.

_Sakura would've known what to do._

Awkwardly, he pats her on the head and smooths out her hair.

"Hinata?" he asks gently.

What had happened? It must've been something important to have shaken her up so much. Had this happened last time? It must've, considering he didn't do much to change the way things were. But what-

Naruto pauses, thinking back to his Hokage training sessions. Ebisu had been giving him lectures on diplomatic relations, and he had been half falling asleep – but there had been one thing that had stood out to him.

The Hyuuga Kidnapping.

Except it hadn't really seemed real to him back them. He had never really pondered it much. It had been something long gone, a thing of the past that had no real meaning in the real world anymore.

Except, Naruto realises with frightening clarity, _this _is the real world.

This Hinata, the one crying in front of him, this is the _real _Hinata.

Not the Hinata he left behind years ago.

That world – it wasn't real one anymore. This one_ – this world is real!_

Naruto stumbles back. Hinata looks up at him through tear ridden eyes.

This whole time, he hadn't really been thinking, had he? He had been _selfish, _only wanting to be happy himself. But in front of him – the whole world had been crumbling in front of him and he was going to let it happen!

He had lost sight of his ninja way.

Suddenly the scroll in his hand seems heavier and much, _much _more important than it was a few moments ago.

He can't let the world disintegrate before his eyes. No. He's going to _save _it, this time around. And it's going to be even better than it was before. He needs to be powerful to do that though, and this scroll – this scroll in his hand will help him do it.

"Hinata," he says solemnly, grasping her by the shoulders. "I need to escape. This is very important. Can you help?"

Hinata looks up at him and nods.

"Good," Naruto says quietly. "Now I'm going to go now. Your clansmen are after me. Where's the nearest window?"

"Down the hall and turn right," Hinata says, determinedly wiping away her tears.

"Thanks," Naruto smiles, "You're a trooper. Can you help me check if anyone's around?"

Hinata nods again and shuts her eyes. She clenches her fists and her body shakes before she opens her eyes.

"Byakugan," she whispers.

Naruto grins. She had activated her byakugan a lot faster than those her age normally do. She was an impressive heiress. It was a pity her clan couldn't see past the strength of her little sister and cousin. Was her little sister born yet? No. Hanabi would come later this year.

"There are a few Hyuuga along the corridor to your left, but most are on the other side of compound. They're chasing…you? Five yous?"

Naruto chuckles, rubbing the back of his hair with his hand. "Yeah… it's a clone jutsu." He pauses. "Only five? They work fast. I started off with twenty."

He turns back to Hinata and gives her a bright smile.

"Thanks Hinata," he says genuinely, clasping her hand in his. "You were a really big help today. In more ways than you can imagine."

Hinata blushes. "Y-you're welcome?"

"Anyway," Naruto says, "Gotta go now. Stay strong. I believe in you Hinata!"

She lifts an arm up in a wave but Naruto is already gone, taking with him one of her clan's prized scrolls.

Naruto manages to make it to the window without detection and the rest of the trip is an easy out. Or maybe that's just because he's on a high, riding on the newfound determination to get stronger – not for himself, but for _Konoha. _

Naruto is no longer just Naruto.

Naruto is the _Hokage._

And he's going to fix things.

But of course, he can't do that with his current skill set. Which means training – which means, unfortunately, the only instructor he can probably get his hands on as the 'kyuubi brat'. It means going through the Hokage, his only supporter, which means getting the only 'ninja' that wouldn't be of better use anywhere else.

It means getting the only instructor whom isn't currently occupied.

Konohamaru is only one.

Which means… Ebisu.

But he needs this. He needs to prevent one of the most destructive events of all time. He needs to stop the Uchiha massacre.

**AN: **Two against one! Naruto and Sasuke are determined on stopping the massacre, while Sakura is hell-bent on it _happening. _

Leave me a review and tell me which side you want to win!


	4. The Uchiha Massacre - I

**AN: **So... the uchiha massacre is happening. It's been a time skip of three years, and I'm sorry about that but it's necessary. I want to get the story moving so that we actually get to _Team Seven, _the whole premise of this story. But I'm trying not to rush the massacre because I think it's a _really important _part.

Which is why... this is part 1. More parts coming soon, I'm guessing probably 3 at this point, but everything is tentative.

Also, turns out my info on the Hyuuga kidnapping is really out of whack. Thanks to the Dragonbard who pointed out that it actually happened when she was three. Sorry for the confusion guys! But yeah. In this story it happens when she's five because I've already written this much and it was really important for that to happen so... yeah.

Hope you enjoy this chapter guys x

* * *

_**The Uchiha Massacre - I**_

* * *

**Naruto**

Naruto's knowledge of time travel has always been limited.

It was never talked about much in his past life – it had always been accepted as impossible and thus never pondered on much. His only exposure of it had been when Sakura had had a brief obsession with some guy researching it.

He failed, she got over it, and it was never spoken of again.

But when she did speak about it, he remembered one thing she emphasised clearly – it was _keep the past as it is. _

She must have said it so many times that even _Sasuke _remembered it.

Except… he's not here for things to end the way they did. He's here to change things. And if he's to change things, he needs a voice. A voice that will at least be _considered _in a serious manner.

And he's got plans. Plans which involve the Hokage trusting his rational judgement without question. And the first step to that is actually doing well in school – well enough that the Hokage will see beyond prankster and to future Hokage.

Future Sakura would definitely scold him for doing this but it's only temporary. After all, he's got three years to get back to dead last so that he can get into Team 7. And that is of _utmost _importance.

Iruka clears his throat.

The class continues to mumble.

Pointedly, Iruka pulls out a set of certificates and waves them. Immediately the class silences and Iruka grins. Naruto notices with approval that he's a lot more comfortable teaching now. He seems to have found his niche – Azumi-sensei had retired last year, leaving all the teaching to Iruka. Without the pressure of the authority figure judging him, Iruka is fast becoming the teacher Naruto knew and loved.

The only damper on that thought is that, if he remembers correctly, next year will be the year Mizuki started teaching – the chuunin who was supposed to take Azumi's position was an Uchiha and he had been killed in the massacre.

But that won't happen this time around, not if he can help it.

"Alright then guys," Iruka says, a small smile on his face. Even Kiba is sitting in rapt attention, eyeing the certificates in his hands, even if he looks like he's going to burst from the tension. "Are you ready for the end of term prizes?"

Naruto grins just as Kiba finally bursts, whooping up in his seat. "You bet!"

Iruka smiles fondly before clearing his thought. Kiba immediately sits to attention.

"Now," Iruka says dramatically, eyes glinting. "Please keep your applause to the end. I know it's the last day of school but we've still got ten minutes left of class. And none of you are leaving until all the certificates have been handed out, so please remain silent until the end."

He picks up the first certificate. The whole class leans forward in anticipation. "Most enthusiastic goes to… Inuzuka Kiba."

Kiba cheers, jumping out of his seat. Akamaru crawls out of his hoodie and bounds forwards, licking Iruka on the leg. Iruka hands him his certificate and Kiba proudly takes his position in front of the class.

Iruka picks up the next certificate.

"Biggest brain goes to… Haruno Sakura."

Sakura blushes and goes up quickly to accept the award. Behind her, Ami and a few other civilian girls snicker.

"Big forehead," they giggle.

Naruto rolls his eyes. Really? They have no idea how insignificant their comments are. Sakura has moved mountains – literally and figuratively. She saved the life of the Kazekage's brother at fifteen, replenish the chakra supplies of armies at seventeen. She was part of the legendary _Team Seven _dattebayo!

But this Sakura looks down and immediately Naruto is brought down from his high. No. This Sakura is a vulnerable one. This Sakura is the old one, one not yet scarred by Orochimaru and Sasuke-

Naruto freezes.

If he changes things – if he makes them for _Sasuke, _is he destroying _Sakura _in the process? The Sakura he knows?

"_I can't think like that," _he hisses quietly. In the front row, Uchiha Sasuke tenses minutely. Sakura's smile becomes strained.

Naruto shakes his head, ridding himself of his thoughts. He must think of the better goal for the future – for the _future-_

"Most improved goes to…" Iruka announces loudly, "Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto snaps up to attention and pushes his thoughts of Sakura and Sasuke away from his mind. He was never good at thinking of those sort of things anyway – that had always been Sakura's thing. She'd probably know what to do in his situation.

But Iruka is still waiting for his flamboyant reaction so Naruto grins and cheers, ambling up proudly to accept his award.

The other children in his class look surprised at his achievement but Sasuke is staring at him calculatingly. Next to him, Sakura shuffles away to keep her distance from him.

Naruto fights the hurt which suddenly stabs his heart. She can't help it at this age, he tells himself, her parents have been feeding her lies.

Iruka pulls out the last certificate and Naruto snaps his attention away from Sakura, grateful for the distraction.

"Best achiever goes to…"

Naruto leans forward expectantly – he might even have a chance at this. He's been training immensely, readying himself to stop the massacre. Hell, even _Ebisu _is impressed. This award would definitely raise his credibility, help him to show that his ideas are worth considering. Then hopefully he can influence the Hokage – just only if he can beat the Uchiha second son-

"-Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto deflates. Sasuke eyes him, smirks, and goes up to accept his award in thundering applause.

Kami. Even as a kid he still manages to be annoying in that _Sasuke _way of his.

The class continues to cheer and Iruka eyes the clock, painstakingly waiting out the last few seconds before the hand ticks to 2:30 – officially signifying the end of class.

Next to him, Sasuke shifts uncomfortably.

But Naruto can't help but smile. Sakura's on his left. Sasuke's on his right.

This is the beginning of _Team Seven. _

"Class dismissed," Iruka calls up through the ruckus.

Naruto's smile curves up into a rambunctious grin.

"Yes!" he calls, pumping his fist into the air. Next to him, Sasuke rolls his eyes and turns to meet his Uchiha cousin. Sakura quickly scampers back down to Hinata and the two girl huddle together, away from the other girls of the class.

Naruto smiles softly. Sakura's got Hinata this time around which is different, but perhaps his encounter with Hinata had had more drastic effects than he'd imagined. Who knew? After all, Sakura had always mentioned the intricacies of time travel and the ripple effect and other stuff like that he didn't remember. Sakura is doing fine which means it's time to focus on Sasuke.

Naruto breaks away from the throng of Academy students eager for the holidays and out into the courtyard.

The massacre is to occur in around three months but to his knowledge the orders were not officially given until the week before. Had Danzou already come up with the idea?

Naruto bites his lip. He can't quite remember but it doesn't matter. He's implementing counter measures either way.

His control has gotten a lot better – not enough, definitely, for the leaf twirling exercise, but it's more than he could've hoped for last time around.

_Constant training _is his goal this time around, a leaf he's taken from Lee and Gai, actually. But he's refrained from anything too drastic – weights, he's heard, hinder your development at such a young age so he's stuck to the simply stretching his limits chakra wise.

He uses Sakura's technique to quickly break away from the courtyard and to the Hokage's tower. Nobody bats an eyelid – they're too used to ninja shunshin'ing everywhere that an extra blur raises no eyes.

Just to be careful though, he stops in the middle of Konoha Markets like always, camouflaging himself between the legs of the bustle of people.

Reorientating himself, he walks leisurely to the Hokage tower. This time the receptionist doesn't even bat an eyelid as he enters – he's been coming and going from the tower numerous of times this year.

Except this is the day his grand plan is going to be put into action.

First off, he makes his way down to the library under the stairs. He'd saved enough money by the time he was six to by a muffler for the entrance. This way, he wouldn't have to keep on breaking and replacing the potted plants in the reception.

In fact, that also might be why the receptionist is friendlier to him now, Naruto thinks absent-mindedly.

The books from the library had proved to be good help, but nothing had come up which he didn't already know. It _had _provided good insights however into child-training – that was where he had gotten the information of the weights. Without them, he could have seriously injured himself.

He has the last of his books with him today, slung in his backpack.

Naruto quickly opens the hidden hatch and jumps down into the hallways, picking up the torch. This should be his last journey down here – he's already pretty much exhumed all of the resources already.

Three years had really exhausted this library – he hasn't been down here in a while too. The last time he'd come down was to pick up scrolls on laws governing Konoha to see if he could find any loopholes in regards to sending people on missions – one of his ideas had been to send Itachi off on an impromptu mission during the time the massacre was to occur. Hopefully that would stuff up the plans a bit, enough for the Hokage to figure out a way to stop it. But that ended up turning into a dead end. He wouldn't be able to go unless the Hokage passed his mission and the chances of that happening were least to none.

But it _is _a loose end he needs to tie up – Ebisu had gotten suspicious from all the political and administrative questions he had been asking him. All he needs to do now is put those scrolls back and then he'd need to move onto bigger things.

Namely, stopping the massacre from happening. Once that is done and dusted, he'll go back to being dead last – and Team 7 would rise again.

Naruto quickly sets the books back into the library and pulls out some ink from his bag. Then, he goes to the door and draws the old seal, destroying any signs of his presence. He won't need this library again, although it is a sadness to see it go. It's been almost his second home with all the time he's spent in it. But it _has _served him well – he's probably a solid fifteen-year-old Naruto power level now, in some aspects.

Naruto sighs, running back to the entrance. He's been slacking off in his training lately – after his research into the massacre, he'd found out that stopping it occurring had been a lot less heroic ninja-power-_wham! _And a lot more… politics.

He skids to a halt in front of the entrance and places the torch back in its position, refuelling it quickly. Sakura would have been better at this, he thinks with a sigh. If she'd come back she'd know how to stop the massacre, how to sweet talk the elders or somewhat. That was why she was the best at her job.

Naruto pauses just before the entrance, thinking back solemnly to Team 7. While he and Sasuke had always been seen as the front men of Team 7, Sakura had always been powerful in a subtle way. And without her, they would've been nothing. And Sasuke-

Well. Sasuke is a _whole _other story.

Naruto shakes his head, clearing his thoughts. He jumps up and takes the muffler from the entrance, erasing the last sign of his presence. He'd considered wiping fingerprints and the like, but the chances of someone snooping here were as low as Kakashi revealing his face.

Naruto dusts himself off and casually walks back into the reception. Now that that's done, he has to begin the delicate political mission.

Making his steps quiet – but not too quiet for an eight year old – Naruto walks up the stairs to the Hokage's office.

He's been talking to the old-man a lot lately – some have been intelligent, philosophical discussions, others small hints into the Uchiha's doings. But this will be the most important meeting – the suggestion of an idea which will hopefully set the course of the future onto a different path.

Naruto pauses suspiciously outside the office. It's starkly silent which means that either Sarutobi is away, or he is discussing matters delicate enough to warrant sound-proofing jutsu. Both which spell trouble.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto raises a fist and knocks.

There's continued silence on the other side and Naruto thinks – maybe old man really _is _away – but then the door swings open.

Danzou looks across before his eyes slowly travel downwards. Finally, they meet eight-year-old Naruto's.

Inwardly, Naruto curses.

"Naruto?" Sarutobi calls from inside.

"Yes," Naruto says softly, heart hammering in his chest. His hands are clamming up and his mind is whirling at a thousand miles an hour. Does Danzou know about his meetings with the Hokage? Does he know what they've been talking about? He'd tried to weave in the details through casual conversation, as to appear inconspicuous, but what if Sarutobi had taken that to mean that the things he said weren't classified?

In the end, it all came down to _does Danzou know?_

"Naruto?" Sarutobi calls again, "Come in."

"Yes sir," Naruto says meekly. Danzou steps back from the door and Naruto scuttles in quickly, head bowed.

Sarutobi smiles at him as he enters.

"Hello Naruto," he says kindly, "I hear this is your last day at school. How have things been in the Academy?"

Naruto shoots a nervous glance at Danzou. The elder has shut the door and is currently rifling through some of the Hokage's files, looking casual.

Naruto shivers. _What is he still doing here? _

He turns back to the Hokage, quickly plastering on a smile. "Good," he says quickly, throat bobbing. "I got the most improved award."

Sarutobi smiles widely. "That's wonderful Naruto."

"Mhm," Naruto nods, continuing to bob his head as he licks his lips nervously. Then, his eyes quickly dart to Danzou.

"Don't worry about me," Danzou suddenly says, snapping a file shut. It echoes through the room with a load bang and Naruto would've jumped if not for the numerous wars under his belt. "I'm just doing some file work. The paper ninja are quite behind lately."

His tone is way too friendly. Naruto is immediately on guard but Sarutobi is still smiling at him expectantly.

"Yeah. I'm… I'm good. Except I… I'm finding some of the new work hard," Naruto says slowly. He has to proceed with his plan but kami help him he's going to drag it out. Tensions are too delicate to mess up the planning, especially since his previous meetings have been building up to this meeting. He just needs to drag it out long enough that Danzou _leaves. _"I… think my class rank will drop soon."

"To dead last again?" Sarutobi jokes.

Naruto smiles wanly. That is the plan, yes. He's just setting it up early. Once the massacre is over he doesn't need to keep in anyone's good graces.

"How's Sasuke by the way?" Sarutobi asks, his tone perfectly casual. "You always talk about him."

_Well yes, _Naruto thinks, _that's cause I'm trying to feed you updates on how the Uchiha clan is going, as well as surreptitiously suggesting other courses of action. But I can't do that_ _when _he's _here._

Naruto begins to cough awkwardly, trying to avoid answering. The room sits in stifling tension before Danzou stands up and turns to the door.

"I'll be going now," he says quietly. "Goodbye Hokage-sama."

"Good-bye," Sarutobi answers cordially.

Danzou walks out of the room, silently shutting the door behind him. Naruto lets out a small breath of relief.

"So?" Sarutobi prompts.

"He's restless – well, I mean, he always is. His cousin is too. I reckon there's something going on in the Uchiha," Naruto says casually. His voice is loud again, as in persona, recovered now that Danzou's gone.

"I see," Sarutobi nods slowly.

"But I mean, I can see why they feel that way," Naruto says, pushing himself up to sit on the Hokage's desk. That had been one of Ebisu's lessons actually – when negotiating, a false sense of intimacy helps to loosen the other party.

"You know, Iruka-sensei mentioned the other day-" he did nothing of the sort, but Sarutobi didn't know that "-that there weren't a lot of Uchiha in ANBU corps. They're all in the Military Police Brigade or something like that."

"Military Police Force," Sarutobi corrects quietly.

"Yeah. That. And I thought it must _suck _to be so disconnected from your fellow ninja. I mean, it doesn't really foster good friendships right?"

"Mm," Sarutobi hums non-committedly.

"_I _think it would just make things a lot better if the Uchiha got to connect more with the rest of us eh? Like maybe something like a swap over of commanders or somethin' like that! Ooh wait! Or maybe you could get them to supervise the Konoha Spring Festival this time instead of the ANBU – that way they could connect more with the civilians!"

Sarutobi smiles softly. "That's quite a good idea Naruto but I'm afraid logistically, the Uchiha aren't equipped enough to deal with such a responsibility."

"But you haven't given them a _chance!" _Naruto points out. "This shows them that you trust them with a piece of national security, you trust that they are skilled enough to handle _responsibility. _It shows that you see them as part of Konoha's defence force!"

Sarutobi leans back speculatively.

"Think about it," Naruto says evenly, trying to make sure his tone is perfect. The Hokage may be relaxed around him, but he's still the _Hokage ._If he senses he's being manipulated…

Naruto shakes his head and continues. "Even though the Festival will be full of civilians, it will also be full of ninja. And no one in their right mind would attack a space so filled with Konoha's trained operatives. The risk is minimal."

Sarutobi leans back in his seat. "This is… an interesting idea, Naruto. It has potential."

Naruto nods fervently.

"Go now. I will think on it." Sarutobi eyes Naruto carefully. "Do me a favour will you, and keep an eye on Sasuke for me?"

Naruto smiles, his heart rate finally slowing. It is completed. "I will."

Sarutobi raises a hand and dismisses him. Suppressing a grin, Naruto jumps off the desk.

He's done it. He's proposed the idea and hopefully that, along with the other ideas he's been surreptitiously putting forward every meeting, will let tensions between the Uchiha and Konoha simmer down so that a massacre isn't necessary.

But now that he's addressed things from the official side, he has to address things from the Uchiha side. Which means he should try to find Itachi.

Except the Uchiha heir is known to be notoriously hard to find, either on ANBU missions or doing dastardly Uchiha business. He would have to be vigilant, and look carefully.

No. First, he should find _Ebisu_. His meeting with the Hokage has run late and no doubt his instructor is _mad._

Ebisu gets mad quite easily, Naruto thinks.

He swings open the door – and _Danzou _stands right outside.

Naruto freezes.

Had he been listening in? Had he heard his suggestions? Had he just drawn attention to himself from the commander of ANBU Root? And knowing Sakura, that was a position _not _to be trifled with.

"If you'll excuse me Naruto," Danzou says carefully, "I need to talk to the Hokage. I forgot to discuss something with him."

Naruto nods robotically, not trusting himself to say anything. He steps to the side and Danzou walks calmly into the office.

Mechanically, he closes the door behind him.

"Danzou!" he hears Sarutobi exclaim in surprise. "You're back."

"Yes Hokage-sama," Danzou says measuredly.

"That boy…" Naruto's eyes widen but then a sound barrier jutsu hits the wall and nothing else can be heard.

Slowly, Naruto lets go of the doorknob. Did Danzou see him as a possible threat now?

It'd be best to steer clear of the office whenever he's around. Naruto shakes his head, clearing his thoughts. He's done all he can for today, and he still needs to see Ebisu.

* * *

**Sasuke**

Is that a… rock? With holes? For _eyes? _Where had he seen that before?

Sasuke pauses, adjusting the strap of his bag as he eyes the strange phenomenon in front of him. These children are infringing on his path home and usually he'd just pull clan crap and get them to scram but it all looks so f_amiliar…_

That's right. Konohamaru and his friends – Naruto's little army of followers.

Which means...

Sasuke looks up.

Yep. That's Naruto, with some tall guy in glasses. And they're heading this way.

So… time to get out of here.

Sasuke turns back around, side-stepping the cardboard rock. His parents are expecting him home anyway. Naruto can go do his training with glasses guy.

Except… Naruto had gotten the award for most improved. Sasuke frowns. Had he gotten that last time around? He can't actually remember. His whole childhood had been so tinted with the massacre and Itachi that he can't actually remember any of the mundane things which happened.

But there would be no point spying on the blonde anyway. He should just get out of here.

Steeling himself, Sasuke continues his walk back to the compound, shoulders squared. He _won't _look back.

Today had been his last day at the Academy before the three week break, which also means it's also his last opportunity to inconspicuously carry out his plan.

He had been extra conversationalist lately and his chosen topics had been so revealing that Elder Mako had taken to eating with the main family just so he could listen to Sasuke's 'stories'.

Itachi however, always seemed suspicious of his actions. But lately his older brother hadn't been paying too much attention, luckily, so Sasuke's subtle manipulations continued to go on unnoticed.

Sasuke sighs. Admittedly though, his plan _does_ go against Itachi's values, but his older brother is too self-sacrificial for his own good. What Sasuke is planning to do – that will benefit them _all _in the long run. Sure, the Uchiha were at fault in their own way, however nothing they did justified the drastic actions Danzou – that bloody _bastard – _took to neutralise the 'threat'.

Speaking of which, he _still needs to find _the bloody headquarters of Root. And he's been looking for _three bloody years. _This place is the epitome of well-protected. Times like this he could _really _use Sakura. Except she'd never agree to do it anyway.

Sasuke sighs again and shakes his head, ridding his thoughts of his other team mates. He reaches the compound and the gate guards let him in wordlessly.

His father is probably anticipating his return in the dining room. His mother is probably waiting there too, but for different reasons. She just wants to keep herself informed though he knows she disapproves of the information he is 'unknowingly' feeding his clan. And Itachi? He's probably off doing something for the Hokage.

Pity, Sasuke thinks humourlessly, because the Hokage was so invested in his one informant within the Uchiha that he failed to see the other happenings. They thought that just because Itachi was clan heir he knew everything. But he didn't.

No.

_Sasuke _knew everything.

Sasuke pauses outside the entrance to the dining room and tests his senses. There seems to be… three people inside? Maybe four?

No. Three.

Sasuke opens the door to the dining room.

"I'm home," he says.

His father looks up from the newspaper. His mother is baking something – biscuits? Elder Mako is huddled in the corner reading one of the Uchiha clan scrolls. This time Shisui is here too, twirling a kunai around his finger as he watches Mikoto prepare the biscuits.

_Damn. There _was_ four people._

"Hey Sasuke," Shisui greets. In a flash, he tosses the kunai. Sasuke narrows his eyes and raises a hand, snatching the kunai mid-air.

"Shisui," he greets.

"How was the Academy Sasuke?" his father asks.

"It was alright," he says levelly. "But I overheard the teachers talking in the staffroom about us."

"Oh?" Elder Mako says, not looking up from his scroll. The whole family continues their charade of casualness. "What did they say?"

"They said that the Uchiha were good-for-nothing, and that someone… I forgot his name… Dan-something? I dunno. Something 'bout how we should be careful. Very careful."

Elder Mako's fingers curl tighter around the scroll. Mikoto hisses as she burns herself on the hot oven tray.

Shisui turns his eyes to Sasuke, watching him calculating.

"And you heard this… from _Academy _teachers?"

"Yep," Sasuke says innocently. Usually his family are too engrossed in the new information to pick out the flaws in his story but Shisui has always been too smart for his own good.

"Interesting," his cousin says, nodding slowly. Then he turns around sharply and leaves.

"Where are you going?" Elder Mako calls.

"I need to talk to Itachi," Shisui calls back before disappearing.

Sasuke eyes the door with narrowed eyes. Talk to Itachi? Is Shisui…

No. Itachi's the only Hokage informant in the clan. Except Shisui _does_ seem to be also exempt from the famed Curse of Hatred, like his brother. Perhaps he was just going to tell Itachi how his own brother perpetuated the curse of hatred. But he can't think too much on Shisui – he needs to concentrate on _stopping the massacre of his family._

"Anyway, I was training with Kiba too" -lie- "and I heard his parents talking 'bout how the Uchiha were getting more and more suspicious."

"Really?" Elder Mako says slowly, fingers tightening even further.

"Yep," Sasuke says. "Not that it's my business or anything, but could you guys act a bit less suspicious? It's bad for my popularity."

It says a lot for how immersed the others are in their own thoughts that they don't even acknowledge the absurdity of Sasuke's words. But as long as his warning has gotten through, his mission is complete.

The Uchiha have been getting more reckless, and if this keeps going on the massacre will have more and more grounds to proceed.

"I'll be going now," Sasuke announces to the silent room.

Receiving no response, he leaves. It's time to tackle things from the other side. Now that he's got the Uchiha more hateful but hopefully less bloody _obvious, _he needs to get to Danzou.

After all, at this stage the Hokage and his brother and all the 'good and righteous' people of the world have no idea that a massacre is even a possibility. Only Danzou in that sick little head of his could entertain such a thought. Kami Root was messed up. Funny how Sakura ended up there though, cleaning up the loose ends Danzou left in his wake, trying to rehabilitate all the Root ANBU. She, the most innocent of the team, ended up being corrupted by Root mentality.

Sasuke shakes his head, walking back out of the compound again. The two gate guards seem unfazed at his abrupt departure.

He needs to find Root but so far his methods had been completely ineffective.

He'd started off looking for a particular person – Kabuto to be exact, but he was as elusive as a snake. So he'd tried to settle for second best, with the one known as 'Sai' who replaced him in the team.

God he hated that kid.

But unfortunately Sai too, was nowhere to be found. Sai probably wasn't even his name.

Which meant that he'd now had to settle for third choice.

And third choice was… pretty _shit._

He knew _vaguely, _having heard _once or twice _from Naruto or Sakura about an epic battle which had occurred during the Fourth Shinobi World war. It was one between Shino and his relative, who was Root.

So he knows that in Root, there is an Aburame.

He also knows that Shino had found out during this battle that his cousin had known a Yamanaka.

So he knows that in Root, there's an Aburame and a Yamanaka.

And that is, in essence, all he has to go off on.

Unless he wants to reattempt following ninja. But he knows from last time's spectacular failure that that would never work. He isn't good enough at hiding his presence. He'd be detected in an instant, even if he's gotten his speed up to scratch.

He supposes he could pull the big guns and ask his parents but that would draw way too much attention to him. Perhaps it'd be better just tagging along to Itachi?

Surely his brother was a better option than finding an elusive Yamanaka/Aburame.

But then again, it's _his brother. _At his full power, would he have beaten Itachi? He's not sure about things like this anymore. Itachi's genius is obvious, and it's a genius unparalleled.

No. Tailing Itachi would be even worse.

But recently, the _Hokage_ has been much more accommodating to the Uchiha. According to the various reports he'd gone through after the massacre a lifetime ago, none of this had happened, but it's for the best, he supposes. After all, with Konoha reaching out a friendly hand the Uchiha are bound by social conforms to follow with one.

As to why these new changes were occurring, Sasuke had no idea. But then again, the ripple effect of his return must have somehow jolted things around. Hopefully though, with Konoha seeming a bit friendlier, issues can be... resolved would be impossible but… suppressed. Suppressed to a degree so that a massacre is unneeded.

Yes.

That would work.

But as it is… he should see Ino.

Unfortunately.

But surely, she'd be easier to wheedle information from than Shino. Even at eight years old that guy is _creepy._

* * *

**Sakura**

"Forehead-girl!" Ami calls.

Sakura sighs, adjusting the ribbon over her forehead. It feels constricting, tight and scratchy. She's looking forward to the day she'll finally get her hitai-ite – new and clean, blood-free.

That'll be the day.

"You can't hide your forehead with that ribbon, you know, no matter how hard you try!"

Sakura resists the urge to roll her eyes. Around them, adults jostle this way and that, looking at the produce displayed in Konoha Markets.

"It's so big I can see it anyway! Nothing can hide it!"

Wow. These girls really aren't that creative in their insults. Even Sasuke can do better and he has the emotional capacity of a rock.

Oh Sasuke.

Funnily enough, now when she thinks of him there's no bubble of hatred to go along. Her hate has subsided, mellowed, strangely. As much as his actions did change the world, she's had eight years to mull over it, and she doesn't think she hates him as much now. After all, the Sasuke now is a cute and innocent one.

And she's come back to change things. So Future Sasuke will never, ever happen.

"It's as big as an elephant!" Ami adds as an afterthought.

Sakura sighs, placing a hand on her forehead, feeling her chakra reserves. Her Strength of One Hundred Seal has been growing quite substantially which is good. Hopefully she'll be able to tap into some of it soon – but knowing what's to happen, she still has to save a large chunk for when Kabuto causes the armies to lose their chakra. But she's got years till that.

"Forehead-girl!" Ami calls again.

_Really? _Please. She's saved Ami's little hide more times than she can count. Indirectly of course, but Team 7 has saved Konoha many _many_ times.

But this girl is determined, Sakura'll give her that. After all, she's followed her into _Konoha Markets _to lecture her.

"Sasuke-kun!" she suddenly hears.

Sakura turns around. Ino – when did she get here? – pushes her way through the crowd and latches onto Sasuke's arm. The boy is surprisingly mellow. Then again, his family hasn't been killed yet.

"Sasuke!" Ami squeaks, abandoning her attack on Sakura to race to where Ino and Sasuke are. Sasuke glances in their direction, scowls, and quickly walks away. Ino scampers after him.

Sakura sighs, turning away from them. She has other things to worry about.

She looks down at her watch. Hinata's still not here yet – maybe she's with Naruto? She'd heard that the shy girl had made friends somewhat with him, which is strange as it didn't happen last time around. But she supposes her influence has somehow caused this. Not that it was catastrophic in any way – in fact, it might be for the better, now that Naruto has someone.

She's fine with it, as long as Hinata makes no effort to introduce her mutual friends. While she has made mental preparations in facing the younger versions of her two teammates, she's not sure if she's quite ready enough, especially in such unfamiliar territory. Sakura takes comfort in the _known, _and anything different from before in relation to the two most prominent people in her life is quite outside her comfort zone.

Sakura has been maintaining her comfortable spot as the middle-ranked kunoichi – both she and the Hyuuga elders thought it to be the best in remaining inconspicuous. They had decided she'd be best as a hidden bodyguard – one only they knew about. Of course she had also pushed for that too in an effort to keep the past as predictable as possible. In fact, even Hinata doesn't know of her designation as her 'bodyguard', but they've become firm friends anyway.

Except… something had been stirring up lately. The original contract she had with the elders detailed that her role would end after two years. Sakura had agreed – after all, two years training could make a world of difference – look at Naruto. But at the beginning of this year, the Hyuuga had suddenly renewed her contract for another two and there had been murmurings of some trouble.

Of course the Uchiha massacre is on its way. Three months to the day, if Sakura remembers correctly. Sasuke is beginning to act a bit strange, but she can't blame him as the tensions that are no doubt running through his clan at the moment. That doesn't stop him from being comfortably top of the class though.

She glances over at Sasuke. Him and Ino are talking, Ino much louder than he. They seem to have lost Ami in the crowd.

"…my cousin!" she hears Ino say. Sasuke smiles.

Sakura rolls her eyes and turns away, instead thinking to her other teammate. Strangely, Naruto has been shooting up the rankings. She doesn't quite remember if this happened last time – she'd never paid much attention to him as a kid – but recently he's begun to get worse and worse. It looks as if he's heading towards dead last again, so maybe it _had_ happened last time.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura swivels around. Hinata waves at her through the crowds, quickly zig-zagging between the civilians before halting to a stop in front of her, face a healthy red.

"Am I late?"

"No," Sakura fibs, "I was just early. You wanna head back now?"

"Sure," Hinata grins.

This is the holiday schedule they planned – now that school's over they'll both meet in the afternoons to head back to her compound. Hinata will complete a training session with her father and her sister while Sakura reports to the elders.

"So," Sakura asks, linking her arms with the heiress. "Who were you with just then? Naruto?"

Hinata blushes. "No, no. Of course not. I was just at the park, collecting some flowers."

Sakura's eyes flittered to her backpack. "That's right. You like to press flowers don't you?"

"Yeah," Hinata smiles softly, "They remind me of okaa-san."

Sakura nods sympathetically. She supposes she's always been extremely lucky considering that both of her parents are still alive – were, in fact, even in her old life. Even through the war, she had managed to keep them safe. It was a fact, she knew, which tormented her two teammates, but she cared too much for her parents to let it bother her.

"How's Hanabi?" Sakura asks, turning her mind away from her past life.

"She's very good," Hinata says happily. "Even though she's only two, father says she has great potential."

"That's nice," Sakura echoes.

The two arrive at the gates. The two gate-keepers shoot Sakura a stern glare before letting them in. She doesn't think they've ever forgiven her for besting them – it must've been a blow to their egos. But they can't do anything to her now. She's under Hyuuga elder protection.

Sakura walks Hinata over to the family dojo. Hiashi gives her a nod and Hanabi looks up at her with wide eyes.

"How long?" Sakura asks.

"An hour," Hiashi replies.

Sakura nods and slides the dojo door shut before making her familiar way down the halls to the meeting room. Hinata thinks she's just waiting in the reception but the meeting room is only a few turns away – close enough to rush back for pretences in case of an emergency.

She's just rounded the last corner when a figure steps forward – a Hyuuga jounin.

"Wait here," she says, holding a hand up. "The elders are busy."

Sakura scoots to a stop in front of her. Biting her lip, she rocks on her feet and peeks around the jounin's waist.

The meeting room door is closed – it's in use – and she can sense many people inside. There's no sound-proofing jutsu but she supposes that someone inside has their byakugan switched on, watching for any suspicious activity.

Curiouser and curiouser.

What could they be discussing? Did this have anything to do with why they renewed protection for Hinata for another two years?

Sakura bites her lip and ponders a risky move.

She's always been adept at chakra control jutsu which means that if she tried she might be able to listen to what they were saying. But she's in a compound full of byakugan users – she'd need a complex web of jutsu. Would it be worth it?

This close to the massacre? Yes.

Sakura takes a deep breath and begins the first layer. She keeps her breathing steady, trying to appear unfazed to the jounin in front of her. Luckily, she doesn't have her byakugan switched on. But Sakura has no doubt someone, maybe all, have it on in the meeting room.

She weaves a layer of chakra over herself, imitating her normal flow of chakra. It's a technique much more complicated than a normal chakra suppression and one which requires much more control – it simulated a normal person, rather than making one disappear.

Sakura lets out a shaky breath. Now that her cloak is established, she needs to keep her hold on it as she directs chakra to her ears. That's two missions she needs to concentrate on at once – this will be a true test of whether or not she's built her skills up to the level they once were.

Cautiously, Sakura sends chakra to her ears and listens.

"…this is serious news Arumi."

"I'm not saying it isn't. I'm just saying – _are we sure."_

"…yes. We are very sure. Our Uchiha informant is adamant. _This is happening."_

"But it's just absurd! I mean, everyone knows that the Uchiha are planning a rebellion. Everyone knows about the hate! But you're saying that not only has the hate gotten stronger, the Uchiha are now _pretending that nothing's wrong?_ I thought the whole premise of their rebellion was to _act rebellious _so that the Hokage knows they're unhappy with the way things are. Why are they suddenly hiding? Unless the Hokage has been threatening action."

"Even if the Hokage was threatening action the Uchiha wouldn't know about it. So _how do they know_?"

"But we're not even sure if the Hokage is still threatening action! Relationships are becoming much more amicable. On the surface, at least. The Hokage is getting soft. He's becoming careless, thinking that the Uchiha have no power, while the whole lot of them are growing more and more hateful and rebellious. They've just gotten better at hiding it! Like I've said _many times already._"

"So. What are we going to do about it?"

"Here are evacuation plans in case war does break out. Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama are first priority. Branch will need to escort them, and Sakura will be there in case they act out. Good foresight there Juu. Her renewed contract did come in handy. Hiashi-"

The wave of shock fractures her jutsu and Sakura barely stops herself from stumbling back.

"This is absurd," she whispers frantically. The jounin shoots her a look. "My leg keeps on cramping," Sakura adds quickly, but her mind is whirling.

The Uchiha have somehow tricked the Hokage into thinking that nothing is wrong? They've become mellow, and quiet?

That must mean they're planning something. But the Hokage can't do nothing. Why are both sides this time around so different? Has her appearance changed that many things?

Then she has to fix it. The massacre must go ahead. It stops a _civil war _for bloody sake. The Uchiha are planning a rebellion, and the Hokage is getting tricked by their façade.

_No._

Maybe the Hyuuga have gotten things wrong. She'll have to investigate on her own. She can't act impulsively – look how far that ended up getting Sasuke. But they seem confident it's going to happen – they have bloody _evacuation plans _already. Sakura steadies herself, chewing her lip in thought. She has to be very careful, especially in times as tender as these.

Finally, the door to the meeting room opens. Nine other elders file out and the Hyuuga jounin leaves with them. Finally, Hoshiko pokes his head out.

"Sakura," he says quietly, "Come on in."

* * *

**AN: **Wow. So. Naruto's part was _huge. _It turned out to be half this whole chapter! Hope you guys don't mind. And as you may have noticed I messed up the orders for the characters, and this will probably continue to happen to work plot-wise. I want the right people to be in the right places at the right times. In terms of Team 7, I know the three seem really disconnected now, but things will start culminating once they get forced together.

Anyway, big kisses to all the reviewers: **AnimeLover3232, curious viewer, thestorymaker2, wingofpain, SugoiAuthorToBe, Insidious Person, Lonely Athena **and **the Dragonbard. **

Hope you enjoyed and please review xx


	5. The Uchiha Massacre - II

**AN: **Second part is up! So many climactic things were happen in this chapter but... I have many plans and I used to think we'd be able to wrap up this section into three parts but it looks like it's going to take four. But nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this one - many important things still happen here :)

* * *

_**The Uchiha Massacre - II**_

* * *

**Sakura**

Sakura is worried.

Sakura is _extremely fucking worried._

Under her tree, the Uchiha guards chat casually outside their compound, masking the stifling tension soaked in the air.

Around her, civilians walk past, up and down the street, doing their usual business. The sun shines bright. The birds continue to fly.

But Sakura is _extremely fucking worried._

On the surface everything seems nice and dandy. The Hokage and the Uchiha seem to be buddies, cooperating on the upcoming Konoha Spring Festival. The Spring Festival which is to take place _after_ the original date of the massacre. It all seems fine.

Except she's worried. The Hyuuga predict _civil war_. And the Hyuuga are _rarely _wrong.

Sakura takes another deep breath and adjusts her clothing. Black is not a big part of her eight-year-old wardrobe so she'd ended up borrowing some of Hinata's clothes. It's probably for the better though, now that she thinks about it, because only the best is made for the clan heiress. The ones she has on now are primed for camouflage and maximise flexibility and speed.

Plus, at eight, her and Hinata have much more similar bodies.

But really, all that matters is inconspicuousness. Because Sakura plans on taking a big risk today.

Sakura is planning on eavesdropping on an Uchiha meeting.

A few nights ago she'd managed to secure a talk with the Hyuuga's informant within the Uchiha. The Hyuuga hadn't asked many questions, luckily, as even Arumi seemed to have warmed up to her. So she'd manage to sweeten them enough for them to promise not to pry, and that's all she really needed.

The informant had been an Uchiha girl born out of wedlock. She'd carried enough scorn of her own for her clan to match even Neji. It was a prime catch for the Hyuuga – in fact, Arumi had estimated that she'd probably even surpassed the Hokage's informant.

Not that she does, Sakura knows, considering the Hokage's informant is the clan heir.

But of course, she didn't say anything about that, only graciously thanked them before meeting with the informant.

Of course, the girl wasn't very compliant with someone who wasn't paying her, and it wasn't like the Hyuuga were willing to pitch in money for some eight-year-old civvie Hinata picked up, even if she was becoming extremely proficient.

So Sakura had had to resort to some of her old knowledge.

Her Root knowledge.

It hadn't been a pleasant experience for the informant, but Sakura had genjutsu'd her at the end to save her the trauma. It wasn't something she'd ever really want anybody to feel and _remember._

Except maybe some people.

But that was beside the point. She had managed to secure information – information she doubted that even Sasuke knew – about the date of the next major gathering of the Uchiha elders. What the meeting was to be about, the informant didn't know understandably, but Sakura knows that she has the skills to sneak in so it doesn't matter either way.

Sakura hopes it isn't civil war but with the Uchiha, you never know. No matter how amicable relationships seem on the surface, the Uchiha can always backstab you. Viciously.

Prime example: Sasuke.

But that's a _whole _other issue.

Beneath her, the guards retreat back into the compound – it's time for the changing of the guard and will be the perfect time for her to sneak in.

As soon as the two are reasonably far away, Sakura henges her features – plain brown hair and brown eyes - and drops down. She walks in naturally – the Uchiha are on high alert for intruders, not eight year old girls who accidently wonder into their compound.

There aren't many people around either, she notices, which is a bonus. The two new guards walk towards her but she keeps her henge up confidently. In fact, being inconspicuous in the Uchiha compound is a lot easier than it is in the Hyuuga compound – after all, no one walks around with a switched on sharingan for fun and the Uchiha are nowhere near as sensitive to chakra as the Hyuuga.

"Hey!" a guard calls out from a distance. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to see Sasuke-kun!" she calls back in her best baby voice. "We have to do a holiday assignment today for class!"

Except Sasuke's not at the compound. But the new guards don't know it, because they haven't been on guard. Sakura's excuse isn't perfect but she'll only need it to get past the guards anyway.

The guard shrugs and continues towards the gate. He doesn't seem to care much about her but then again to them she's only an eight-year-old civie girl, so what really can she do?

A lot, but they don't know that.

Continuing her path, Sakura ducks off the path and towards the side wall of the main compound. According to the floor plan of the compound she had managed to reap off the Hyuuga, she should be right around the corner from the side entrance.

Sakura takes a deep breath and racks her memory again. That means she needs to take… two steps to the right and she'll be under the window of the dining room. After that, she'll need to get inside and proceed to the meeting room. That way she won't have to explain what she's doing on the opposite side of the house to Sasuke's room.

But first she needs to scout. Not many people seem home – she stretches out her chakra but only comes into contact with four presences. Itachi isn't home, and neither is Sasuke – but she'd known that. There are three in one room – the meeting room – and a fourth upstairs. Mikoto? Feels like it, but she can't be sure. She isn't familiar enough with her chakra signature to be sure.

But that doesn't matter – what does, is that she's too far away to be a real issue.

In fact, she probably won't even need to pull out the big guns yet.

Sakura sneaks over and gradually begins to muffle her chakra. It's not a fast enough change to trip a signal in any surrounding ninja's brain, and it won't draw attention to her unless people are looking. And they won't be, because no one in this time has the chakra control to perfect that technique. Plus, it helps that she's constantly supplying chakra to her seal, which means her chakra signature was pretty diminutive anyway. It's nothing the Uchiha should notice.

Finally, she has it muffled and Sakura is pretty much invisible on the chakra scale. It's only the physical side she needs to be worried about now, but the main compound seems pretty deserted anyway.

Shallowing her breathing to quieten the sound, Sakura slips across the wall and up through the window, into the dining room.

Sakura lands as quietly as she can, taking in her surroundings. And the first thing she notices is that the room itself is exactly the same as when she last saw it a lifetime ago, surprisingly.

It seems even Sasuke was too attached to change the interior decoration.

But… that's not why she's here.

Creeping silently, Sakura slips out into the hallway and dashes across till she's right outside the meeting room.

She pauses, reaching out again and feeling for Mikoto's signature, making sure the woman is too far away to be a threat. And she is. Good.

Sakura takes a small, steadying breath, calming her heart rate. She can't freak. Not now.

Taking a deep breath and making sure to place a layer of muffling chakra over herself, Sakura spikes chakra to her ears.

"-this is perfect."

"Don't be too confident Eru. Hubris may be the death of the Uchiha."

"Wise words Tabita. But Eru is right in the fact that this new level of cooperation has begun to create an atmosphere of complacency."

"So you still believe we should go forward with the rebellion Mako?"

"We must. Too much lies at stake. Konoha has stampeded over us for too long. We must not allow them to continue. And Fugaku shares my views. I know it. Think of all the possibilities – our informants within the Hyuuga are ready for my orders. We could have the byakugan! The main family is weak – both of their children are young and vulnerable. They will not stand a chance. This is our opportunity to secure the byakugan."

"Yes. That will go far in furthering the sharingan. Talks are that the stage after is the rinnegan. Then the Uchiha would fully crush the Senju."

"Yes, Eru, as they should be crushed. They are not treating us Uchiha right. Look at it all – our compound is isolated and we have our own police system which does not do anything. We should not allow this to continue. Even the civilians think they are better than us! And maybe in the Hokage's eyes, they are!"

"The Curse of Hatred is strong within you Mako, and you Eru. Our whole clan is infected."

"No, Tabita. It is not a Curse of Hatred. It is _reality, _you must see that!"

"…exactly. I _must."_

"But it doesn't matter. The plan will go on. Konoha will be crushed. And all the more, because they are unprepared! Did you hear of all the stories of hate-"

"Perpetrated by a child!"

"Yes! A child never lies. A child-"

"Lies!"

"No. A child tells the honest truth. They tell of things as they hear them. The village is growing more and more hostile, Tobita, and it's time we _fight back."_

A new chakra signature jolts Sakura out of her reverie.

_Sasuke. Outside the front gate._

She needs to get out, but her mind is whirling.

_This can't be true._

Not in this moment of peace. The Uchiha can't – they _mustn't-_

_But they are._

And _Hinata._

She must go but-

"-when?"

"We can pre-emptive, exactly a month from now – November 16. Sabotage the administrations building, burn the files, the mission records and reports, the mission requests. That will send the Hokage Tower and all the ninja into chaos. And then, three days later, we attack."

Sakura's heart hammers in her chest, so loud that she's scared it'll give her position away. But this new information has taken her breath away – she can hardly _breathe._

"What if it doesn't work?"

"Then we regroup. Re-evaluate. But it'll provide enough distraction for us to attack. And the Hyuuga are prepared, which means we should keep a careful eye on them too. But we can discuss this further when Fugaku returns from his mission. After all, he is the most invested in the byakugan."

"Of course…"

It's too close. _Sasuke's _too close.

He'll find her, and she needs to _leave. _

But she needs to stop this – all of this, this civil war, this carnage – it _must not happen._

Which means…

_The massacre must happen._

But first-

Sakura tears out of the Uchiha compound at lightning fast speed – a signature Naruto technique, actually.

It uses up quite a bit of chakra, but she's in no battle. There's no need to conserve her chakra.

Sakura quickly henges her features again, just in case – blonde hair, blue eyes – she knows Danzou is meticulous enough to try to trace her message.

Her message. One which will seal the fate of her best friend.

Her… _ex-_best friend?

No. She can't think like this. Not now.

Sakura slows her run down to a speed visible to civilians. She has to calm herself, figure out a way to stop Danzou from discovering that she's sent the message – but to also let him _trust _her message.

Sakura smiles sardonically. Who would've thought her analysis of Root business would ever be so useful?

Except it isn't 'useful', is it? Because she's destroying Sasuke.

No.

Sasuke will-

_Konoha _will live.

Plus, she's just a civilian kid so no one will suspect her. Sakura slows to a stop just outside Konoha markets, ducking off the path and into the surrounding bushes. Then, taking a deep breath, she throws herself against a tree.

"Fantastic," she mutters. Scrambling back up, she throws herself against the tree again.

The end result is a myriad of cuts along her arms, as well as some bloody knees. A success in the whole.

Sakura stops the automatic flow of healing chakra which flows to the area, instead summoning the obligatory tears as she waddles through Konoha Markets towards the hospital, civilian paced.

The hospital itself is quite busy – flu season is fast approaching and she knows firsthand how flustered the medics are during that time. But that's a plus for her – they'll be too distracted to really pay attention to her.

She limps into the reception and weaves through the bustling doctors and patients.

Standing on her tippy toes, Sakura peers over the counter with teary eyes.

"Can I have a bandaid?" she blubbers.

The receptionist sighs, looking down at her scrapes and cuts. Sakura knows that look – it's the '_we're so busy really?' _look_ – _but he acquiesces and swivels around on his chair, reaching down for the drawer of bandaids.

Sakura takes his distraction to nab a pen and paper, shoving it into her pockets.

"Here you go," the receptionist says, swivelling around on his chair before handing her a packet of band aids.

"Thank you!" Sakura says, grinning widely.

She takes the packet of band aids and hurries to a small secluded corner. Then, quickly making sure her back is turned on the public she grabs a few band aids, plastering them on quickly. She takes the remaining time to scribble quickly on the paper-

_November 16. Uchiha attack. Adminstration building._

Then she folds it in half, quickly drawing a moon on the outside, writing next to it _18/5/4/4/1/14_

She'll drop it off at Root base, and the fact that she knows the location plus the codes on the front will verify the validity of the note. The moon signifies a 'night operator' – or, in other words, a spy of the highest degree. The numbers correspond to the letters REDDAN respectively – standing for Code Red, and Danzou. The Root Operative will recognise the emergency, and know that the note must go immediately straight to Danzou.

Turns out all that time in Root turned out to be useful after all.

She brings the remaining band aids back to the receptionist, giving him a big toothy smile.

"Thanks!" she says, much brighter than she feels as she slips the pen back onto the counter. Once Danzou realises that none of his operatives sent the note he'll probably try to trace it. The ink will match up to this pen, but the fact that so many people have used it covers up her fingerprints accurately.

And Root Operatives only report once a fortnight, and all are scheduled to come in at varied times, so hopefully Danzou will remain blissfully oblivious until after November 16. But for the moment, she has to sabotage the Uchiha rebellion.

Sakura walks outside again, civilian paced.

Casually, she slips into the neighbouring dango shop – one of Uchiha Itachi's favourite destinations, actually.

Sakura folds her written note inside a five dollar note.

"Two dango please," she says to the cashier. "Take away."

"Of course," the undercover Root operative says friendlily. "Two dango, coming right up!"

Sakura waits, biting her lip as she surveys the rest of the shop. It's got a few customers here and there, but overall it's a quiet afternoon.

"Here you go," the cashier says, handing her her dango.

"Thanks!" Sakura says brightly, grabbing some coins from her pocket to pay before stuffing the five dollar note in the jar with the other tips.

The dango shop's opening hours are ending soon, which means the operatives will be emptying the tip jar. If procedure is still the same, around an hour later they'd take it to the back and sift through all the tips, looking for notes from spies. They would then slip through the basement of the dango shop, through a series of underground passages and into Root headquarters.

If all went well, the note would hopefully get to Danzou before the end of tonight, giving Konoha ample time to prepare for the Uchiha attack.

Job completed, Sakura can finally convince her heart rate to slow. She walks out of the dango shop and checks the perimeter before quickly undoing her henge.

Her work is done.

The Uchiha will be stopped.

* * *

**Sasuke**

Sasuke detects a flicker of chakra.

He whirls around but it's nothing. All he sees is Sakura outside the dango shop. Fantastic.

He turns back around and concentrates intensely but the headquarters of ANBU Root continues to elude him.

It has eluded him for _eight bloody years._

Recently, he'd isolated the member of the Yamanaka – Yamanaka Fuu – but the guy turned out to be a legendary sensor nin, so any chance of tailing him flew out the window.

That long month with Ino – for _nothing._

Except he had heard that for a time, Danzou had gone around the clans recruiting members, but just as luck would have it, the Uchiha were never obligated to obey as they were already 'playing their part in the protection of the village' through the Military Police Force.

So it was just his luck really. After all that, Sasuke is _still _grasping at straws.

He'd also spend hours thinking back to his meetings with Sakura, trying to divulge any information she might have slipped through, or places he'd seen her. But after Root business, Sakura had always insisted on meeting at the dango shop. Which was absolutely useless as it was right in the middle of Konoha and gave him no clue as to where the headquarters were hidden.

However much he hates the man, he has to admit that Danzou knows how to do his job and do it well.

Great.

And on top of that, the Hokage had been doing some _bizarre _things he had definitely _not _done last time around.

Like putting the Uchiha in charge of the annual Konoha Spring Festival.

What. Even.

The Uchiha are in no way equipped to deal with such a huge responsibility, but the amount of trust placed on the Uchiha has made some Uchiha beginning to soften up to the Hokage.

Sasuke has not spent _this much time _brewing hate within the Uchiha for it to be dissipated by some ripple action he himself caused.

No.

Konoha is going down, and it won't work if the Uchiha are on its side. The Uchiha must be on _his _side, the _destruction _side. Even if he has to somehow genjutsu Itachi through the whole process.

And speaking of Itachi, his brother had been increasingly absent from clan meetings – so absent that with his progress, his father had even considered bringing _him _along.

And it sucks because Sasuke _knows _that Itachi is doing Hokage stuff. His brother, in all his self-sacrificial glory, is aiding the person who will one day _kill him._

Indirectly or whatever, it's the same. Konoha will kill him, will kill the Uchiha, will – and _have – _killed Team 7.

Disgusting.

Sasuke resists the urge to spit – _never tarnish the Uchiha name, _his father says – but he does stomp all the way to his compound gates. He is not in a particularly good mood, and even the Uchiha gate guards shrink back slightly as they let the fuming youngster into the compound.

Even at a mere eight years old, Uchiha Sasuke seems to still be able to project his scary ANBU commander glare from the future.

Sasuke makes his way to the dining room – his new favourite place in the house. Firstly, it's right next to the meeting room, convenient for any eavesdropping expeditions. Secondly, it has food, and Sasuke has learnt from years on the run that food should not be taken for granted. Thirdly, it's where Itachi likes to spend his time the few hours he _is _at home, probably for the same two prior reasons.

But today, Itachi isn't here. Not that Sasuke expected any different – it's a month before the massacre now, and even though the Spring Festival has temporarily slowed the escalation to civil war, tensions are still running high. Knowing Danzou the old bat though he's probably already planning the massacre.

Sasuke suppresses an instinctive gag reflex. He'd desensitised himself from the event in his past life with the help of Sakura, but now that he's spent eight years surrounded by that nostalgic cocoon of family, the loss suddenly seems much more prominent and eminent than it ever did before.

But it will _not _be a loss. He will _prevent it._

This wasn't a move he had previously planned – and maybe it was fuelled by his terrible mood – but Sasuke will _not _let the massacre go through. Not if he in his eight-year-old glory can help it.

He thinks back to a conversation he had had with Sakura – she'd finally started adjusting to life in Root, and had told him how apparently it was a 'tradition' of the Konoha Council Members to visit the communal baths at the end of each month. It wasn't done for any sake of real want – rather, it was because the council wanted to keep up their appearances for the civilians and the lower-level ninja who weren't as informed or involved in Konoha politics. That way they made themselves appear connected to the community.

That was also the conversation where she had confided that amidst all the torture and the darkness and the killing, she knew that everybody there was capable of being defeated. They were capable of being defeated because they showed character. And character means that one is human, and if one is human, one is not invincible.

But that was a train of thought he liked to apply to others, and not to himself.

He's not sure exactly when this monthly tradition occurs, but he's sure that it must've been over, for the new month has just started.

Which means that this plan might actually work.

Sasuke pauses and feels for the room next door – only three chakra signatures. The three elders maybe? Or his parents and Elder Mako?

Sakura would be useful right now.

But he has to manage by himself. Alone, this time around.

Shaking his head quickly, Sasuke thinks back to the cellars of Orochimaru and plasters on his most traumatised face.

And then he knocks on the door, lip trembling.

A few moments later it swings open and Elder Mako looks down. His eyes soften almost imperceptibly and Sasuke feels another tug at his heart at the possibility that in one moment, his whole family may be gone. _Again. _

"Hello Sasuke," Elder Mako greets.

"Hi," Sasuke says, slightly teary. "A-am I interrupting something?"

Elder Mako smiles wanly. "No. We were just finishing up. Why don't you come in?"

Sasuke manages a small smile, still keeping up with his traumatised façade.

Elder Tabita looks up as he enters.

"Sasuke child," she says gravely, "Are you alright? You look frighteningly pale."

Sasuke shrugs. "I just heard something at the baths, that's all. It's just got me a bit worried. There was this guy with a bandage over his eye-"

Immediately the three elders snap to attention.

"Continue," Mako says constrainedly.

"And he talked of something to do with the Uchiha and – and November 26th." That was the day the massacre had occurred last time around. "But- but he said he wasn't sure. Sometime around there. And he mentioned…"

Sasuke pauses. This is a dangerous move, but it is necessary. His clan must be _prepared, _even if it means sacrificing…

"-he also mentioned N-n-Nii-san."

Elder Tabita takes a deep, shuddering breath. Eru cocks an eyebrow. Mako simply eyes him steadily.

"I see," Elder Mako says slowly, his eyes guarded. He turns his back on Sasuke and waves his hand.

"Leave us," he says briskly.

Sasuke bows his head respectfully and retreats. No doubt the elders are on high alert with this new information, but Sasuke risks a quick eavesdrop.

"This corroborates with the intel we have already," he hears Elder Eru say. "Something must be done."

Sasuke smiles.

Yes. Something must be done.

But he needs to leave before the elders come out. Job finished, Sasuke quickly shunshin's back out to Konoha Markets.

Because he still. Needs. To find. Bloody. Fucking. Root.

Sighing, Sasuke stands and watches.

* * *

**Naruto**

Naruto's holidays are proving frightfully uneventful.

All the other kids in his class have been having play dates or what not – or, in the clan kids' case, training sessions together.

But the most he's had is a few training sessions here and there with Hinata. And even he can tell that even she doesn't have the time to hang out with him – especially with all her extra heiress duties and the unwillingness of the Hyuuga to see their heiress hanging out with the likes of him.

A few times though, he's caught Sasuke and Sakura looking at him, but that's probably because this time around he's much more in tune to them both, and everything they do, every little action they make, he's overanalysing and nit-picking. He's always thinking that his two teammates are up to something or another, but really, they're just _kids. _All this free time has gotten to his head.

But the bountiful amounts of time he's had on his hands has also allowed him to find a second home at the Hokage tower.

He spends most of his days there with the Hokage, trying to familiarise himself with Konoha's dealing in this time. Unfortunately, Konoha's political history hadn't been a course he'd paid too much attention in during his Hokage training – he's always preferred making new bonds and creating _new _history.

Of course, the Hokage doesn't mind him looking around. After all, sensitive files are well out of his reach and there's nothing in there lying around that's dangerous – after all, if the cleaner can pick them up and read them, they're safe for Naruto to read too.

But on a few occasions, matters too sensitive for his ears had come up and he'd beeen expelled from the office.

This is now proving to be one of those times.

"Naruto," Sarutobi says gravely. "Go now."

Naruto reaches over to sort the file back in the drawer but the Hokage raises a hand.

"Go now," he repeats. "_Now."_

"Okay," Naruto shrugs, tucking the folder under his arm and waddling back outside. The person outside the window looked ANBU – but Root or not, he wasn't sure.

He suspects it might have something to do with the Uchiha massacre – after all, the date is drawing nearer and nearer – but he won't risk eavesdropping. Not when two such strong shinobi are evidently on high alert. Sasuke might've been able to pull it off, Sakura definitely, but with his level of chakra control and unstable reserves, who knew what would happen.

He should just be grateful Danzou isn't on his case. The last time he saw him the old man had been suspicious to say the least. Even though Naruto had tried his hardest to seem natural he knew that he had failed. Spectacularly. Danzou knew he didn't like him, and he also knew that Naruto had been making suggestions to the Hokage – suggestions the Hokage _accepted._

But lately the elder seems preoccupied by something else. The massacre? But that isn't to occur until November 26. And it's only the beginning of November anyway.

But then again, an event like this must've been weeks, months, even years in planning.

Naruto sighs. If only he had decided to sort through the massacre records himself rather than delegating it to Sasuke and Sakura. He'd have a much better understanding.

But… this will have to do.

Naruto steels himself and clutches the folder tightly to his chest. The matter must be urgent for the Hokage to usher him out of the office with a file still in his hand. Naruto looks back at the door forlornly – could he?

No.

Thus resigned to not knowing what was happening behind the closed doors, Naruto makes his way down the stairs of the Hokage tower and outside into the bustling Konoha Markets. Immediately a burst of cold air hits him – even though it is only the beginning of November the air is already on its way to the winter climate.

But he supposes it isn't too bad – after all, he's been stuck in prison cells in Kirigakure during winter – and it is _cold _there. Their torture system wasn't nearly as advanced as places like Iwagakure, but the cold itself was torture enough. In comparison, Konoha is like a playground.

Yeah he should be fine-

Or not.

Naruto squints at Sasuke who's standing right in the middle of Konoha Markets, looking extremely thoughtful.

Maybe he's lost?

But that's none of his business. And Naruto certainly doesn't want to spend more time in the cold air than necessary. After all, he's spent many years enduring harsh conditions, so why not make the most of the resources around him?

Naruto weaves through the crowd and bursts into the civilian library, moaning in delight as the warm heating envelops his body.

Across from him, the librarian shoots him a glare.

"Shh!" he hisses.

"Sorry!" Naruto whispers back.

He tiptoes his way across the library and towards the plush seating near the back. The chairs in the library were always soft and fluffy, and they'd been his favourite place to relax as a-

Naruto pauses.

Then, he peers around a stack of books.

"_Itachi?!_"

The Uchiha heir looks up from his book – '_Konoha, its history, and Sunagakure'._

"Naruto," he says, surprised.

"Hi," Naruto says blankly. His previous conversations with the heir have been along the lines of _don't kill Sasuke, don't kill _me, _save Sasuke…_ He's not quite sure what to say to him, now that they're finally in an amicable context. Not to mention, the 'cold-blooded killer' is… thirteen.

"Hello," Itachi says softly.

"Wait," Naruto says. "How'd you know my name?"

Itachi quirks an eyebrow. "How did you know mine?"

"You're Sasuke's brother," Naruto says heavily. Those three words will be words which will dominate the experience of most of his later life. Really, it is the two brothers and everything connected to them which spirals Naruto into the person he is now.

"Yes," Itachi says. "And you're his classmate."

_I'm also the kyuubi jinchuuriki._

"Yes," Naruto says instead. His eyes shoot down to his book. "You like history?"

Itachi smiles – well, as close to a smile as an Uchiha can get. But Naruto's had lots of practice recognising Sasuke's.

"I love it," he says simply.

And then Naruto pauses, suddenly remembering the file he had been reading when the Hokage had sent him out of the tower. Previously, he had thought it'd be impossible to send Itachi on a mission unless it was ordered by the Hokage himself, or Itachi requested it.

Or Itachi requested it.

Of course, the Hokage had to approve it but this –_ this is a tangible possibility_.

Naruto feels his heartbeat speeding up in anticipation and quickly takes a deep breath, trying to calm it. Uchiha Itachi has always been extremely sensitive, and it won't do to alert him to anything suspicious now.

"That's amazing," Naruto settles on saying. "I love history too!" Lies. "In fact, I was at the Hokage's office just then before Ojii-san kicked me out, and I found this mission which would be _incredible! _But it requires a genin rank."

"Oh?" Itachi asks, "What is it?"

Naruto whips out the file and opens it.

"It's an archaeological recovery mission – some ruins on the border near Sunagakure. They think they might've found a gravesite of our early ancestors. It's only C-rank though, but it goes for two weeks."

Itachi frowns at the timing – evidently it isn't great considering how high tensions are running and his tenuous position.

"It would be good to relax," Naruto says quickly. "I mean, you look tired. But I guess the best judge of that would be the Hokage right? It wouldn't be good to limit your chances before you try them out. Why don't you ask him? There's no harm in that."

Itachi frowns contemplatively. "I might."

"You should!" Naruto says enthusiastically, remembering just barely to curb his enthusiasm so that it's not too overbearing. The Itachi right now is volatile, and everything and anything could dissuade him.

"Here's the file," Naruto says resolutely. "Take it. Ask the Hokage."

Itachi stares at the yellow file in Naruto's hands.

Finally, he puts down his book.

"Maybe some rest will be good," he says. He grasps the yellow folder, nods at the younger boy, and heads outside.

Naruto resists the urge to cheer. He's set the plan in motion – all he needs now is for it to _succeed._

But the chances of the Hokage approving it are small. After all, Itachi's a key informant within the Uchiha clan.

But hopefully Itachi's plea will sway the Hokage. After all, his Ojii-san has always had a soft spot for children, and maybe for once pure empathy will win out.

Mentally, Naruto counts to sixty before casually walking out of the library.

He's not going to leave things like that – he _has _to find out what happens. This is a once-in-two lifetimes' chance, and he needs to know how things will turn out.

Quickly suppressing his chakra to the best of his ability, Naruto runs towards the Hokage's tower. He stops right outside – Itachi is making his way inside, civilian paced. But he seems calm, and hopefully the easy atmosphere will deter him from trying to sense anything unusual – Naruto's not sure how long he can remain inconspicuous if that happens. After all, Itachi is one of the best.

Mentally counting another thirty, Naruto walks into the Hokage's tower and makes his way up the stairs, his footsteps quiet.

Faintly, he hears a few knocks on the door. A few seconds later, he hears the door swing shut.

Cautiously, Naruto peers up – no one has left the office which means the stairs are clear.

Muffling his footsteps, Naruto quickly shuffles up and places his ear against the wall.

"-the C-rank?" Sarutobi says, surprised.

"It is… to my liking," Itachi says quietly.

And then suddenly – "What did you say the dates were?"

Naruto freezes – that's _Danzou. _He would never let Itachi leave – his plan is _doomed._

"November 5th to November 19th."

"…I see," Danzou says quietly.

"I'm not sure-" Sarutobi begins, but Danzou cuts in.

"Go," he says. "Hokage-sama, I recommend him _go. _I have matters to discuss with you, remember? They are important matters. Itachi will go."

There're a few beats of silence.

"Very well," Sarutobi says.

Naruto suppresses an inner cheer. But it's evident that the meeting's nearly over, so he should get away before they see him.

He makes his escape quickly and quietly, but inside, he's bursting with joy.

His plan has worked – Itachi will be away until the 19th. Shisui is still alive which means that this time he can push back Itachi's mangekyou – maybe even prevent it entirely. And last time the massacre occurred on the 26th so this time, if he follows Itachi, delays his trip home, he might be lucky enough to avoid the massacre in its entirety. One week is a long time to delay someone, but he's seen it happen. Will _make _it happen.

The Uchiha will live.

* * *

**AN: **So uh, when I said the climactic things don't happen in this chapter I was kinda lying. Important things happen, but the real stuff happens soon. Which also means, unfortunately, next update might be slow. There's a lot to get through and I don't know if I'll be able to get it out, especially since I'll be quite busy - EXAMS. UH. Also, I haven't forgotten my other fic Cadaverous Bloom for those of you who read it, I've just not had much inspiration for it lately. But I _will _endeavor to finish it.

Anyway, yeah. It looks like Sakura's message got to Danzou in time. He knows of the attack on the 16th, which is why he's let Itachi go off - he thinks that Itachi's absence will be beneficial to his chances of succeeding which is why he's willing to let him go.

I have a pretty good idea of whether or not I want the massacre to happen, but let me know what you think. My plans are kind of whacko so your input would be great.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time: **DaManKaliel, AnimeLover3232, Guest, Broken Reveries, Guest, Lonely Athena, KRIOSdaBOSS, Magevn, curious viewer, AvidReader, Guest** and** Suzululu4moe.** You guys make my day!

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please send me a review, let me know what you think. Love you all xx


	6. The Uchiha Massacre - III

**AN:** So... shit happens in this chapter. It's quite intense, and what I thought I would fit into one chapter I couldn't, so the Uchiha Massacre goes on to IV. This... depressed me, and most of you already guessed what was going to happen so... yeah.

* * *

_**The Uchiha Massacre - III**_

* * *

**Naruto**

"…for me? Really?"

Hinata flushes, bowing her head. Next to her, Sakura smiles softly, eyes downcast. Naruto resists the urge to fidget and keeps his eyes trained on the Hyuuga heiress. With Sakura so close he has to keep a tenuous hold on his emotions – he can't break this close to the massacre. Especially when Iruka-sensei is still watching the remaining three students with careful eyes.

Ever since the end of the holidays parents have been quick in picking up their kids. He hadn't noticed it last time – he was much too oblivious back then – but now the tension within Konoha is evident. Parents are twitchy and the Academy has a few extra jounins wondering around 'casually'. Similarly, there's been an increased ninja presence in public places like Konoha Markets, the Hokage tower, and especially the administrations building.

In fact, he even saw ANBU stationed there, which was strange as the administrations building was a civilian service mainly.

But who knew.

"I made it yesterday from some herbs I connected," Hinata says, snapping him back to reality. "It should work for pretty much everything. It's like an all-rounder really. No matter if it's a bruise or a cut, it should be able to help!"

"Wow Hinata! That's fantastic!" Naruto grins, taking the salve gently. It looks and smells just like the ones she made a lifetime ago. "Thank you," he repeats sincerely.

"No problem," Hinata says. "But Sakura-chan helped me a lot!"

"Maa Hinata," Sakura scolds, waving her hand in the air. "Don't lie, you made it yourself."

Naruto's smile falters for a second before reappearing full force.

"Thanks anyway!" he smiles brightly, fingers tightening their hold on the ointment.

"No problem," Sakura says, averting her eyes. "Come on Hinata. Let's go. Your father's waiting for you."

"Oh no!" Hinata gasps. "I completely forgot!"

"Come on now," Sakura says, rolling her eyes. "Let's go."

She grasps the other girl's hand and pulls her away, out the Academy doors and towards the Hyuuga chuunin waiting outside.

"Bye," Naruto whispers, but the two girls are already gone.

He swallows harshly.

"See you later," he amends.

He turns around to grab his bag, getting ready for the journey ahead.

"Naruto."

'I-Iruka-sensei," he stumbles, turning around.

"Naruto," Iruka repeats softly, pulling up a chair in front of him. "You've been doing a really good job lately."

"Wow uh… thanks Iruka-sensei," Naruto says awkwardly.

"You ah… You've improved a lot lately but I've noticed that you're ah… you aren't ah…" Iruka rubs the back of his sheepishly, trying to find the right words to say.

"Doing as well?" Naruto sighs. "Yeah. I know."

"Hey," Iruka says determinedly, leaning forward to look him in the eye. "I used to think that you would never be Hokage like you wanted, but you've worked hard mate. You've done good. You've improved a lot and I really believe you can stop yourself from slipping back to dead last. In fact, I could probably help-"

"Nah," Naruto says quickly. "Really. I'm fine. You don't need to worry."

_Please don't worry._

Iruka leans back. "You don't have to be scared of asking for help Naruto."

"I-uh… yeah. I know."

Naruto swallows, looking away from Iruka. He was one of the few who survived the war – Naruto made sure of that. But it's strange talking to him now, at such a young age. Iruka had never taken a notice of him before, probably because he _did_ seem like a failure, always being dead last and never improving. This time around, now that he's proved he's actually worth something Iruka is being much more friendly.

"But really though, I don't need any help." He can't have help – otherwise Team 7 won't happen and it _needs_ to.

"…alright then," Iruka sighs. "Go on now."

"See ya sensei," Naruto says sheepishly, swinging his bag around his shoulder.

"Goodbye Naruto," Iruka says with a sigh.

Steeling himself, Naruto walks out without a glance back. He needs to stop himself from getting too emotionally attached – this is a new world and these people are not the people he knew and loved a lifetime ago. They don't have the same experiences; they aren't tainted by the deaths of a large portion of their community.

Naruto skids to a stop outside the Academy.

_"Shisui?"_

Said Uchiha snaps to attention – not from surprise, Naruto knows – he's too good for that – but from shock that the young boy knows his name.

"That is- I mean…" Naruto stammers, unsure of how to cover up his fault. "I- uh- I- uh…"

"You must be Sasuke's friend," Shisui says bemusedly.

"Yes!" Naruto says quickly. "I mean no! I mean- what are you doing here?"

"Oh," Shisui says, "I'm here to speak to Iruka-senpai."

"About Sasuke?"

Shisui continues to smile, unfazed – only Naruto's trained eyes can pick up the slight twitch of his lips which signal an Uchiha's surprise.

"What are you still doing here?" Shisui opts to ask instead. "Class finished awhile ago."

Naruto pauses – is Uchiha Shisui friend or foe? He knows – everyone knows – that he is immensely devoted to the Uchiha clan.

But he's even more dedicated to the village.

Itachi had said to him a lifetime ago that above all else, Shisui wanted someone to inherit his will and ideals. And he had believed that that person was Naruto.

"I'm worried about Sasuke," Naruto says, and it's perhaps the most truthful thing he's said his whole life.

Shisui smiles sadly. "Yeah. Me too. Me too."

For a moment, Naruto feels as if he's transcended time and space and there's only him and Shisui, here, united by their common goal of _Konoha for the good _and_ Sasuke and Itachi._

"Well then," Shisui says quietly, breaking the silence, "I'll be going then."

"Okay," Naruto replies softly. "…stay safe."

Shisui smiles sadly. "I'll… try."

And then he's gone.

Naruto stares at the space the older Uchiha once stood before letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Uchiha Shisui is real, and alive.

But he won't be soon if he doesn't do anything.

Naruto slings his backpack over his shoulder. While it's got everything he needs for the Academy in it – books, stationary – it also has everything he'll need for the trip – soldier pills, hair dye for backup, some protein bars and a few bottles of water. He's forgone a map this time – he's traipsed around the countries enough, either with Jiraiya or as Hokage to know the lands like the back of his hand.

At least, that was what he told people a lifetime ago. Truthfully, it was the war which made everyone familiarise themselves with the harsh country. But he doesn't like to think that way.

Squaring his shoulders back, Naruto readies himself.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu," he whispers softly. A second clone appears opposite him, smiling encouragingly.

"Good luck!" his clone says with a hopeful grin.

"Thanks," Naruto smiles sheepishly. He pulls out his Academy resources from his bag and hands it to his clone.

"Hope you do shit in class," he grins.

"Hope you save some lives," his clone shoots back.

Naruto smiles. "I always do."

And then he shunshin's away. Itachi's mission is on the border of Sunagakure and Konohagakure so it's not a long run, especially for someone as trained as the Hokage. An eight-year-old version, at least.

In fact, now that he thinks back, Ebizu as a teacher might have been a blessing disguised as a curse. He was never a practical teacher which meant Naruto was never asked to display his skills, thus eliminating the risk of being suspicious completely. He focused on a whole new area that Naruto had never considered before and thus broadened his knowledge in a way he himself would have never done. Plus, he knew how to train himself physically anyway – Jiraiya racked that into him, if nothing else.

According to plans, he should arrive by the morning of the 16th – a solid night of running. The ruins themselves are in between Sand and Fire, in a town called Asezuka. The fifteen hours required to get there are probably one of the reasons why the Hokage accepted the mission – if an emergency was to occur, Itachi could be called for and back by the next day. He was just as good, probably even better, than any ANBU the Hokage could've sent to fetch him.

In fact, he had taken careful consideration of Itachi's skills – a feat only achieved through the patience, diligence and strategizing that Ebisu had taught him. He knows that Itachi is good – there's no doubt about that. After all, he's ANBU captain at only thirteen.

But there's a fact which all of Konoha, sans Sasuke, seems to have forgotten.

_He's only thirteen._

Uchiha Itachi is only a boy. He is immature. While he's a genius, smart to the beyond, he is _thirteen_.

And those who acknowledge that fact do not understand it. They think that he can handle anything, that he has shown maturity beyond his years, that he is going to be Hokage.

And if Naruto had not known what he knew he would have agreed. Except he knows that Uchiha Itachi is fallible. He is fallible because he decided to tell his eight year old brother that he killed his family for power, and that he should dedicate his life to felling him.

This is the Itachi who, in the future, would acknowledge that maybe he made the wrong choice. Maybe, if he had trusted his brother from the beginning, none of what happened would have happened.

Itachi is fallible, and Naruto will fell him.

He makes sure to eat his protein bars regularly, out of habit if nothing else. They don't sit well with his stomach but he knows that however much he despises Sakura's piece of advice, it is definitely a helpful one. Many missions he and Sasuke had had to take regularly breaks every three hours to have one of Sakura's specially made deluxe bars for travelling.

Sakura really did take good care of them both. But these protein bars that he nicked from the market taste nowhere as good as hers did.

Naruto shakes his head. He can't afford to think about things like that during such a volatile period.

Hah. Another one of Ebisu's words of advice. He's on a roll today.

Naruto suppresses the urge to yawn. It's been too long since he's actually participated in something so physically exhausting. How long has it been now since he started? A few hours? From the landscape it looked like he was coming up to the crater.

The crater. Except it won't be a crater. The war hasn't happened. It will be… a town.

Naruto swallows harshly. He hadn't thought about it like that before. But he'd better hurry his speed up – he doesn't want to encounter anyone on his way there. And he isn't that great with henges anyway – he can try, but knowing him, it'll probably fail. But then again, that's why he's got the hair dye.

He halts to a stop at the edge of the forest bordering the Fire side of Asezuka. The first few rays of sunshine are rising and from what he remembers from the mission report, Itachi starts the archaeological dig at 7:30 each morning. That gives him around one and a half hours to get his stuff together. Should he try the henge…?

Might as well give it a go. So what if it's never been his forte? He can do it just fine. There's only the question if he'll be able to maintain it at a steady enough level not to alert a seasoned shinobi like Itachi.

He does have the hair dye as backup though. He hasn't – and probably never will – master that weird technique Sakura has which imitates a normal chakra signature, allowing her to do weird shit underneath. But he's pretty sure he's allergic to that stuff and it gives off a distinct smell that a shinobi will pick up.

And hair dye can only do so much. A henge will be much more effective – a fact he remembers clearly learning when he saw a twelve-year-old, pretty Sakura turn into a much older, gangly Iruka-sensei. Henge can do wonders.

So, henge it is then. He'll never know unless he tries.

Plus, once that's organised, he's got a good three days to observe the Uchiha and try to figure out a way to delay him. That's plenty of time.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto readies himself for the henge. Sure, he can perform one, but can he perform one to the standard that Uchiha Itachi will not detect? Either way, he won't know until he tries.

_Believe,_ Naruto wills himself. Then, his hands whirl through the signs – _dog – boar – ram._

A puff of smoke lights around if. Quickly, Naruto waves it away and looks down. The henge looks successful for the most – a generic black hair and green eyes. Accidently – perhaps – his eyes curve up in the same way Sakura's do, and his hair sticks up in the same, untamed way as Sasuke's.

But Naruto brushes that away. This is not the time to think of that.

First he has to find Itachi. And to do that he needs to use Sakura's technique. What were the hand signs again? Were there even hand signs?

Naruto sighs. He can't remember. It was too many years ago. It looks like he'll have to rely on old-fashioned scouting. There doesn't seem to be much activity in the town – his senses aren't picking up many footsteps or sounds. That's good enough, he supposes – even though Sakura's got her sophisticated chakra tricks he still has good old kyuubi-enhanced senses.

Naruto reaches for another protein bar, swinging his backpack over his shoulder.

Then he pauses.

He hears something – light, almost undetectable, disappearing here and there, reappearing later.

Footsteps. Coming here. _Fast_. Too fast for a civilian. Itachi?

He can't know. Kami Sakura would be useful now. But it's definitely a shinobi or a samurai with that speed, and there aren't any samurai around in these parts.

Naruto jumps up into the trees, cautiously avoiding making any sound. Being quiet has never been his strong point – Team 7 has never _needed_ to be quiet. The big missions they'd rush in blaring, too powerful to be stopped anyway, and for the diplomatic missions, he knew everyone anyway so there was no need.

The stealth missions? Well, Sasuke and Sakura took care of those.

_Be aware of your surroundings,_ Ebisu's voice rings out through his head. Naruto glances around him, taking note of every leaf and every branch, careful not to disrupt the environment. A small brush on a leaf could be the sound a seasoned shinobi needs to pick up a threat.

Naruto strains his ears again, listening. The footsteps are coming closer, just as quiet. In fact, if it weren't for his kyuubi enhanced senses, he probably would never have picked up the sounds of these footsteps. This shinobi is good.

Itachi good, he realises with frightening clarity.

Finally, a figure emerges from the gates of Asezuka.

Uchiha Itachi no longer obscures his footsteps, now that he's in plain view. But they're still quiet – Naruto supposes he can't be anything but perfect.

"I know you're there," Itachi says quietly.

Naruto freezes.

_What?_ Did the heir sense him already? He must be extremely sensitive to chakra – as sensitive as Sakura, or a Hyuuga. But that can't be. He wouldn't have sensed him unless he was looking for him. Sure, Naruto's chakra control wasn't that good, but it wasn't _that_ bad.

Naruto stays silent, hyper aware of his surroundings. Cautiously, his hands creep down to the weapons pouch he nicked from the Academy. But he has no idea what the younger boy is thinking – his face is emotionless, a perfect mask. He stands still too, making no sign of whether he's to attack or not. Even at thirteen, Uchiha Itachi is a genius.

"I've already found you anyway so you might as well come out."

Naruto stays deathly still, breath quiet as a graveyard. What is Itachi talking about? Naruto is growing more confused by the second, not to mention Itachi's just completely messed up all his plans so he's not quite sure where exactly to go from here.

"I've already caught you sneaking around Konoha. No one else has noticed but I have. And I already know who you are, Uchiha Madara. Why not come out and face me?"

_Oh my god,_ Naruto thinks. He thinks my chakra signature is Uchiha Madara's. But it is a valid conclusion he supposes, now that he thinks about it. Itachi isn't at Sakura's level yet, which means he can't differentiate between different people's chakra, but he's sensitive enough to know that Naruto has extremely large reserves – reserves only someone like Uchiha Madara would have. And Uchiha Madara had been sneaking around Konoha and Itachi had proposed that he help him massacre the Uchiha so that he would spare Konoha – had they already had this talk?

"I know you're mad I took this mission," Itachi says quietly, "but it was a necessity. I couldn't refuse the Hokage without looking suspicious."

So Itachi is lying to Madara. No surprise there.

"But," Itachi says, voice harder, "We also agreed that you would leave me alone, and only appear before me when the orders were given. So take this as a warning."

His eyes morph into the sharingan and Naruto tenses, ready for a fight. Shisui is still alive so he doesn't have to worry about the Tsukuyomi, Susanoo or the Amaterasu, luckily, but Itachi is still an ANBU Captain.

And then he shoots forward – _fast_ – like_ Raikage fast_.

But Naruto is Minato's son.

He draws on nature chakra and throws himself to the side, hurtling across the trees. Itachi looks surprised – a minute twitch of the eyebrow – and he whirls around. But Naruto is already obscured in the leaves again.

"You're not Madara," Itachi says softly.

Naruto pauses – he must be joking right? He moved too fast for him to catch a glimpse of him. How could he know-

_Shit._ That's right. He _moved_. If it were Madara he would have simply phased through with that annoying sharingan technique of his. But he didn't. He dodged.

Itachi looks suspicious. _Too suspicious._

And then he shunshin's away.

_Fuck!_ Naruto thinks. Where did he go? Did he go back to Asezuka? He reaches out with his chakra but he can't sense anything. Uchiha Itachi has completely obscured his chakra.

_I've got to calm down,_ he tells himself. _If I were Uchiha Itachi what would I do?_

A new threat just emerged supposedly, one with a chakra signature as large as Uchiha Madara. He's tailing the Uchiha heir in the volatile weeks before the massacre. If it was Naruto, he would in Ebisu's words 'neutralise the threat' – or, in Naruto's words, beat the crap out of him. But he was Itachi. What would _Itachi_ do?

He would report back to the Hokage. _Uchiha Itachi is on his way back to Konoha._

Shit.

Naruto turns to rush away after him, jumping off the tree. Immediately, a swarm of ravens overwhelm him.

A genjutsu.

Naruto curses. He's always been terrible at breaking genjutsu.

* * *

**Sakura**

Sakura shudders as her kage bunshin dispels, giving her the rundown of her day at the Academy. It's drained quite a bit of her chakra – _no one_ has reserves like Naruto – but putting up an acceptable appearance is vital.

Well, it isn't really vital, but Sakura _really_ wants to keep an eye out on the administrations building. From what her kage bunshin feeds her, today has been the same as all the others. Everything had seemed normal on the surface – Ami was still carrying on her tirade against her, Naruto's grades were dropping again, as everyone predicted. Ino was still dominating the kunoichi section. Sasuke was still being an arrogant twat.

Except… things felt forced. Disjointed. Sasuke's usual Uchiha cousin/buddy had disappeared and he seemed always on edge. Naruto was being a lot less rambunctious, and he always seemed pre-occupied during classes with something or another. Even the clan kids were feeling the tense atmosphere in Konoha. And of course Iruka-sensei was trying to put on a cheerful face, attempting to get everybody working like always.

Except the date was starkly white on the chalkboard. This morning had marked November 16.

Sakura lets out a shaky breath, leaning back against her tree. She's standing guard up in the foliage of the administrations building, henged as a squirrel. She scampers up the branch, grabbing a nut as she chews on it inconspicuously. Below her it's time for the changing of the guard – a new Root platoon has come to relieve the previous one. From what she's managed to see and the chakra fluctuations she's detected, it seems as if Root are hiding in the shadows while a small number of the Hokage's personal guard are stationed as civilians inside the building.

A blonde haired blue-eyed woman walks into the administrations building, a standard brown duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

Sakura narrows her eyes – there's something wrong there but she can't tell what. She doesn't have enough chakra to perform any advanced sensory techniques but she's got a hunch – there seems to be genjutsu at play there.

Which would be a smart move, she supposes. The Hyuuga are the only ones who can seamlessly see through genjutsu, and there certainly wouldn't be any in the administrations building – their eyes were a dead giveaway, thus ruling them out for undercover missions like these.

And her bag! What was in there? They had planned to burn the files – explosives? No, they had fire jutsu for that. But actually, no they _would_ use explosives – fire jutsu would easily trace back to the Uchiha.

Sakura scampers down the tree and to the door of the administrations building. Have the guards picked up on the intruder? She peeks in – the Uchiha is exchanging niceties with the Hokage's disguised ANBU. All seems normal, but then again the Hokage's ANBU are the best. She probably wouldn't be able to tell if anything was wrong.

The hidden Uchiha reaches into her bag and shows the ANBU what seems to be an identification card. The ANBU smiles and waves her in – into the records!

Sakura hisses. What is he _doing?_

But then, behind his back, the ANBU makes a hand signal. Sakura relaxes.

He's going with the ANBU strategy 4E codename Rabbit Hide – catching the culprit in the middle of the crime. But knowing the importance of some of those records, he'll have to be quick and precise in his timing.

But Sakura doesn't have to worry – he's one of the Hokage's personal ANBU and if anyone can do it, he can.

Satisfied, Sakura scampers away towards the Hokage Tower.

She supposes she's been lucky – she wouldn't have actually been able to do anything. The kage bunshin had sucked up heaps of her chakra and that on top of having to keep up her seamless chakra cloak has pretty much stopped her from doing anything else. As much as she has tried, her chakra levels are still not what they used to be, especially with the Strength of a Hundred Seal she's been developing.

She had thought about foregoing the kage bunshin and simply calling in a sick day however she was beginning to think that Danzou may have been quicker in tracing her note than she had planned. She had felt eyes on her recently but she wasn't sure who they were from – the Hyuuga were a likely possibility, but so was Root.

Behind her, Sakura hears the commotion – the Uchiha attack has been thwarted. She smiles softly and continues on her path to the Hokage Tower – after all, she can't leave without seeing what happens, can she?

Once again, she thanks her perfect chakra control. She may not be as fast as Sasuke and Naruto, or have the same kick-ass, flashy jutsu and dojutsu but her perfect chakra control gives her perfect use over sensory jutsu, genjutsu, and medical jutsu. They were the front liners and she worked behind the scenes. Perhaps that was why she ended up with Root.

Sakura skids to a halt outside the Hokage Tower and looks up – an ANBU is stationed outside the window. Quickly, she darts up the adjacent tree, ears perked.

"-Tiger-san," the Hokage is saying, "Come in."

He opens the window and the ANBU slips in. A second later, a sound barrier slams around the room. It's a strong one, and Sakura won't be able to break it with the chakra she has left.

Frowning, Sakura reaches up into her forehead. She isn't happy with wasting probably a good three months' worth of storing but this is important. This is _vital._

"-at their compound, Hokage-sama. I have exiled them there until you can decide on a way to deal with this situation."

"They will have to be there awhile longer. I need to consult with the Council."

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

ANBU Tiger darts back outside and shunshin's towards the Uchiha Compound.

Sakura relaxes, letting out a shaky breath. Her job is done. The attack was thwarted, the Uchiha exiled into their compound until further action can be decided. She can now finally go home and have a well-deserved rest.

So she does. For the first time in what seems to be forever she sinks down on her couch and reads one of her mother's sappy romance books. The heroine is an idiot, the hero unrealistic, but it's a nice, a _perfect_ respite from what she's been going through the past thirty years.

So she reads until the sun sets.

It is only a second after she puts the book down, moon half way in the sky, that she screeches.

Her parents rush down – _what's wrong?_ – and she responds quickly with spider or something of the like, but her mind is too busy whirling because she sensed _Uchiha Itachi._ Back from his mission three days early. On the same day as the Uchiha attack on the administrations building.

Sakura darts out of her house, henging into a squirrel just before she reaches her door and locks onto his chakra signature, keeping high on his tail.

This complicates things _immensely_. Everything she had been thinking – was it wrong? Is he coming back to help with the attack? No. He's heading in the direction of the Hokage Tower which is on the other side of town and he's too late anyway. But why would he return early?

Sakura pauses at the foot of the tree next to the Hokage tower. Itachi is perched on the window sill. It seems as if another three months is going to go to waste but kami she will waste it all her progress if she needs. She scurries up the tree and watches with trembling eyes as Uchiha Itachi jumps passed her and onto the window sill.

"Itachi!"

Even the Hokage is surprised. This can't be good.

And then another voice – "Itachi."

_Danzou's voice._

Itachi jumps in and another sound barrier jumps up. Sakura breaks through it with ease.

"I sensed an intruder Hokage-sama-"

"Are you aware of recent events?" Danzou cuts in quietly. "Today's, events."

Itachi falls silent. "No," he finally says.

"The Uchiha attempted to launch an attack on the civilian sector," Sarutobi says softly.

"That can't be," Itachi says quickly, "I would've known."

"But you _didn't," _Danzou stresses. And then quietly – "You know what must be done."

Sakura freezes, her breath caught in her throat. _No._ It's – it's too early. It's only the 16th, and last time it was on the 26th – but- but- this is what she wanted, right?

No, it isn't what she wants. It isn't what _anyone_ wants. But that doesn't matter. Because it has to happen.

The Uchiha had gone too far.

But still – everything is different this time around! Shisui is – still alive! That means that Itachi doesn't have the mangekyou. But is he strong enough to- _yes!_ He has Madara. But – everything's changed now!

"Yes," Itachi says numbly. "But promise me that you'll keep Sasuke safe."

And he sounds thirteen. _He's just a boy._ And _Sasuke!_

"I will," Danzou says calmly.

"…of course," Sarutobi says. "Of course."

Itachi bursts out the window but pauses on the tree outside, only a few feet from Sakura. She freezes, heart beating wildly in her chest, looking up in horror at the man who indirectly defined her whole childhood. Then he sighs a heavy, guttural sigh and launches off onto the rooftops.

_It's happening,_ Sakura registers numbly. _It's happening!_

Her grip on the branch is tenuous – her grip on _herself_ is tenuous. She's done it. It's happened. But – but – it feels wrong. It feels like betrayal. As if she's ripped Sasuke apart again – _dear_ Sasuke – _her_ Sasuke. The Sasuke she fell in love with she's _destroyed_ again.

Faint, Sakura falls back, off the tree.

She drops her henge on the way down and lands softly on the soles of her feet. But she sways, as if drunk, as if dying.

_Why does it feel this way?_ It shouldn't. Root had trained her to feel no emotion. But she does. She _misses_ her teammates. Naruto. Sasuke.

Team 7.

Sakura steels herself. What's happened has happened.

But the least she can do is mitigate the damage. If she can just prevent Sasuke from coming home and seeing Itachi standing over his parents dead bodies – can prevent him from getting mangekyou'd – then maybe, _maybe_, she can justify what she's-

Sakura shakes her head and shoots off, honing in on Sasuke's chakra signature. Their years together make it easy – she can find it in a heartbeat.

She'll need to delay him, plaster on her eight-year-old façade, seem happy and oblivious. He's probably in the compound, or maybe they let the kids out. But she'll have to draw him away from that area of Konoha – maybe Konoha Park? That's a good distance away.

Sakura chews on her lip, willing her emotional façade not to crack. She needs to hold it together. She _must_.

But all she can think is-

_I'm sorry._

* * *

**Sasuke**

Sasuke frowns.

His clan had taken all the necessary precautions – no one who wasn't a high-ranking Uchiha knew of the plan, and they'd taken to heart his little snippet about the baths – Itachi hadn't known either. Not that his brother was there during the discussions anyway, doing some stupid C-rank mission. It probably wasn't even a C-rank – just another one of the Hokage's ploys to separate him from the Uchiha. Not that he was there for the discussions either – but at least he knew of their occurrence.

Sasuke scowls, staring up at the Academy building with disgust.

His clan was put on exile too – everyone inside the compound except for the errand boys and little children. And he classified as little children.

Except… he didn't really have anywhere else to go apart from his compound.

It's night now, but exactly what time he isn't sure. Konoha Markets and anywhere around the inner city places are bad news at this time – at least for a boy of his age. The Academy is as secluded as he can get, really. But if anyone threatening does stumble on him it's not as if he can't handle them.

Because, well, he's powerful now. Sasuke sits down on the swing, looking up at the waning moon.

He has all these tricks up his sleeves and now that he's so much more conscious of the world around him he's reaping the full benefits of clan training. And, like anyone of smart mind would do, he's been training himself in areas he wasn't so good at last time around – it was Shisui, actually, who really pounded that into him. He had been so focused on his speed and all his physical capabilities that he hadn't seen that the thing which let him down most was rash action. He didn't think things through.

Maybe that was why Sakura managed to still beat him in some fights, despite the clear power difference. Sakura is- Sakura was smart. Very smart. He and Naruto – well, they just ambled along after her. On the other hand Naruto-

_Naruto._ He was a whole other story. They were like two sides of the same coin, both brash, powerful to the nth degree. They were constantly striving to be better, the best, and only Sakura could mellow them down. Team 7 was wide-spread destruction.

He… sorta misses Team 7.

Sasuke stands up, quickly moving away from the swing. He needs to stop thinking about Team 7, and how that was the swing Naruto always used to-

Dammit.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. So many things are happening to him, to his family, what the bloody hell does he care about Team 7-

"Sasuke-kun!"

Oh great.

Sasuke lets out a shaky breath as Sakura binds forwards.

"Sasuke-kun," she coos, "what are you doing out here?"

Sasuke cringes. There's just something that always stabs him when he sees Sakura and Naruto – powerful, dare he say it even _wonderful_ people regress into naïve, eight-year-olds who _don't understand-_

Who'll _never_ understand.

Sakura, a fangirl again, who 'loves' him because of his pretty face. Naruto, an obnoxious brat who craves attention.

"Hello Sakura," he says softly, too tired to shoo her away.

For a fraction of a second he sees something flicker in her eyes – the same world-weariness, the same tiredness – but it's gone again and Sasuke thinks – _the moonlight is really tripping me up tonight._

"Do you want to go somewhere?" Sakura asks, her voice high and squeaky.

"No," Sasuke deadpans.

"Let's go to Konoha Park!" Sakura suggests, completely ignoring his answer.

"No," Sasuke repeats. Konoha Park is on the other side of town – a good half an hour, maybe more away from his compound. He's not trekking that far this late at night for a girl.

Not for this girl at this age. Maybe… maybe later. But not now. Never now.

"Please Sasuke," she says, and she tugs on his sleeve and makes the most painful expression. Tears seem to be just below the surface and Sasuke begins to freak out because _why is she about to cry he hasn't done anything-_

Then he freezes.

He senses… Itachi.

_Itachi._

Coming back, sprinting back, towards – towards the compound. What's he doing back so early?

In front of him Sakura is unmoving too, eyes glassy, her large smile frozen on her face.

"I- I-" she chokes. Then her hand lets go of his sleeve and drops to her side.

"I have to go," Sasuke whispers.

"No," Sakura whispers, frantically. "No. Don't go – don't go! Sasuke!"

But he needs to do because kami _what is his onii-san doing the gate guards! Where did their chakra signature disappear oh kami it's happening it's happening it's happening-_

"Shushin no jutsu," Sasuke whispers quietly, for once thanking his incredible speed. He moves fast and disappears, a millisecond before Sakura's immobilising jutsu hits the tree behind him.

He's running to the compound now but he can hear them calling in his head – Sakura, Naruto – incessant callings of Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke through time and space but his _family – Itachi – what are they doing – Konoha what are they doing-_

Sasuke smells the blood before he sees it.

* * *

**AN:** Thanks to everyone that's pointed out mistakes! I try to edit them as well as possible but I'll always miss things so if you find any more please tell me x

On a brighter note, I changed my profile so if any of you want to check it out, that'd be great! I've put up some of my future possible works :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed: **JAIMOL, thestorymaker2, Broken Reveries, Lonely Athena, curious viewer, readerboy7, catxangel, Guest, Suzululu4moe, Magevn, DaManKaliel** and **Shinen no Hikari**. I love hearing your comments and analysis so feel free to keep them coming! And thanks to Broken Reveries for your good luck, I hope you do well in your exams too!

Hope you all enjoyed, and leave a comment xx


	7. The Uchiha Massacre - IV

**AN: **So here it is! The final chapter of the massacre arc. Unfortunately I'm not very happy with it - its got heaps of fight scenes and I'm not that good with those. So apologies in advance, but hope you enjoy nonetheless.

* * *

_**The Uchiha Massacre - IV**_

* * *

**Naruto**

"Naruto-" Kotetsu starts in surprise.

Naruto barely grunts in response, simply rushing past the gate guards and into Konoha. He leaps up into the treetops – there's a special route in the sky for emergencies that will take the ninja straight to the Hokage Tower. And this is _definitely _an emergency. Itachi's already here, no doubt. He had tried to catch up but the fact was that the genjutsu and Itachi's age advantage ran him out.

And there's the worst sinking feeling in his gut that he's _late late late, _like Kakashi but _so much worse._

It's still night but there's a dead atmosphere in Konoha, a painful one, and he's calling out to Sasuke with his mind but it all seems so _hopeless. _

Naruto drops down from the treetops outside the tower. There aren't any ninja about, surprisingly. Usually there's always one or two bustling around, even at this time of the night. But it's all the better for him. Naruto slips in, too frazzled to hide his footsteps and flies up the stairs – stairs he's taken millions of times in his life but none have ever felt this _urgent. _

Naruto barrels through the door, too upset to use the doorknob. It fractures underneath his pressure, giving away to reveal the two occupants inside.

Sarutobi sits at his desk, his head in his hands, completely unreacting to Naruto's entrance. Danzou is staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"S-Sandaime," Naruto utters, too overwhelmed to call the Hokage anything but his title.

Sarutobi looks up and smiles sadly.

"Naruto," he says heavily, as if the world is on his shoulders. Next to him Danzou sweeps up his cloak, eyeing Naruto carefully before picking up the scroll on the desk.

"I'll be leaving now then," he says, bowing his head a fraction at the Hokage before sweeping out of the room.

Naruto trembles, watching him leave with frenzied eyes.

"Well then Naruto," Sarutobi says quietly. "What beings you here at this hour?"

Naruto's head whips around. "I- I-" he stutters before swallowing harshly. He's not sure what to say now that he's finally here. Everything he wanted to ask, everything that had been building up to this moment – he's forgotten. Because _Sasuke poor Sasuke-_

"Where's Itachi?" he blurts out. "I mean I- I- that mission he went on right? The one to Asezuka. I recommended it to him. _I _did. And uh, he said he'd tell me how it went but he uh, he hasn't written to me yet and I- I'm _worried."_

The Hokage eyes him heavily, silently, and Naruto _knows – _he _knows _he's too late that Sasuke is suffering and that years later he's going to _leave _again and chase after his stupid brother _goddammit Itachi._

Why couldn't he have been born earlier? He had this chance – this chance and he _blew it. _Sasuke – _poor Sasuke. _

He needs to get to Sasuke. Maybe he can stop him before he gets there – maybe he's not home yet!

But who's he kidding it's two in the morning he _must _be home.

But he doesn't know! If only he had Sakura's skills and could sense where he was. But he never needed to because-

They were Team 7.

But he has to try.

"I have to go," Naruto says seriously.

Sarutobi sits up straighter and watches him carefully.

Finally, he sighs. "Yes. You do. Goodbye Naruto."

And Naruto winces because he hates that word – _goodbye. _But he grits his teeth and bares it because that's not his first priority right now – no. Sasuke is_._

"Goodbye," he says gutturally.

Then he turns around and rushes out the door, down the stairs, not looking, blindly thinking – _I must find Sasuke-_

Something grabs his arm and jerks him into the bushes nearby. Naruto opens his mouth to scream but then a cloth is muffled over his mouth, drenched in some strange mixture of herbs.

_One of Sakura's blends… _Naruto thinks dimly. _Designed to knock out ninja. He's _done _for._

_No!_

What's he _thinking? _He's forgotten his nindo – a ninja never goes back on his word! He has to fight back so that he can help Sasuke – he can't just stand here not doing anything!

Naruto spins around and kicks blindly, hoping to hit something. His attacker curves back but Naruto manages to clip bone with his foot – he obviously wasn't expecting an attack. The kick manages to get his attacker to loosen his hold just a fraction and Naruto twists away and kicks again, stumbling back.

His attacker doubles over and Naruto takes the opportunity to quickly reach into his pouch and grab some kunai and shuriken. The weapons aren't the best quality – they were nicked from the Academy after all – and Naruto realises with sickening dread that that could very well mean his downfall.

His attacker reorientates himself and looks up and Naruto _freezes. _

His attacker is an _ANBU._

_Impossible._

Naruto staggers back, mind whirling. His opponent is much stronger than he'd anticipated – ANBU never give up. Which means he'll have to neutralise the threat before he can do anything else. But ANBU is strong and he's – he's _five._

_Come on, _Naruto thinks to himself, _what are your options?_

His attacker lunges forward again, hands whirling through seals.

_Dammit. He can't let the ANBU finish whatever jutsu that is. _Naruto rushes forward, hands quickly forming one seal.

"_Kage bunshin no jutsu!"_

Ten clones appear around him, nine of which immediately pounce on the ANBU. It won't stall him for long, but it'll stall him long enough for Naruto to formulate a plan. His run back has tired him so he's not at his strongest. His taijutsu is definitely a no, and his genjutsu even more of a no. Sealing? He's good, but it's useless without ink.

Sage mode is one of his biggest trump cards but he can't reach it now – it requires a strong host body and at eight he'll have it for ten seconds tops before it goes. And there's still the risk of turning into a frog.

Which leaves… his last trump card.

In front of him the ANBU withdraws a blade from his cloak and lunges forward. Naruto darts back, his last remaining clone next to him as both run through a series of seals –

This technique has never failed him.

"Rasengan!"

The ANBU doesn't expect it and Naruto's small stature makes him all the while harder to catch. The rasengan whirls into being and impales the attacker through the stomach and he slumps back. He's not dead – no, an ANBU would take more than that to take down – but he should be incapacitated long enough for Naruto to finally get _Sasuke-_

And then another hand clamps over him and wrenches him back. Naruto twists forward, jerking his attacker's elbow. He stares up at the mask – ANBU as well – but then another pair of arms grab him, and another, and they push him down. He looks around frantically for his other kage bunshin but he's been destroyed – by the other attackers no doubt. Naruto curses. He'd been careless, only thinking there was one attacker. _Crap. _Sakura or even _Sasuke _would have been able to warn him usually.

"Dammit!" one of his attackers hisses. "We underestimated him. Is Hyo okay?"

Naruto twists again but his attacker has a blade pointed straight as his face – the same blade as his first attacker.

Naruto stills, teeth clenched. _Fuckity fuck fuck. _Three attackers – four, including the one he took down. This is a fully fledged squad.

Naruto peers closer at the blade pointed at his face. It's not a usual one – in fact, it looks more like a tip-less tanto.

Naruto stills. ANBU masks, tip-less tantos – Naruto is dealing with Root. Turns out Danzou really did suspect him after all. But how much did he know? He can't prove anything. At least, Naruto hopes. Shit, maybe he should have paid more attention to Sakura when she was teaching him about the law system of Konoha.

"He'll live," the attacker with the blade at his face says, withdrawing it before walking over to the fallen member. "I'll carry him."

Free of the blade, Naruto cranes his head to look up but the last attacker grabs his skull and pushes him down again. A second later, manacles clamp over his hands and ankles.

_Shit._

He tests the manacles but they're strong. Strong enough to hold a jounin. But since they're so powerful they're made for adult limbs. An eight year old's wrists and ankles will allow for a bit more movement. It's not much, but it's all he needs.

"Good for nothing brat," the first voice says – and judging by his tone, the commander. "Always suspicious, looking into things you shouldn't be looking into. That Kyuubi little shit is always up to something."

"Shut up Juu," the second voice says. "You should have learnt by now not to speak during missions."

"I may be new Dajima," the first voice curls. Naruto dreams of punching him in the face. "But I _am_ favoured. You should watch your tongue."

The hand retracts from his skull and Naruto looks up. Juu – the first voice – is cleaning up the scene. Dajima – the second voice – has the injured one hoisted on his back.

"Let's go," he grunts.

The remaining member grabs Naruto by the scruff of his neck and slings him over his back. Naruto takes the opportunity of the movement to dislocate his shoulder, bringing his hands together. It hurts, but Naruto's gone through worse. Luckily, the clang of the manacles disguises the sound.

"We should hurry," Dajima says.

"Yes," Juu agrees.

The three jump up into the foliage and begin running. Considering their direction, they seem to be heading towards the outskirts of Konoha. Naruto grits his teeth – he's being carried further and further away from Sasuke. What are they be doing there anyway? On the night of the massacre? Whatever it is though it definitely doesn't bode well and he needs to get to Sasuke.

He begins to shift his hands, turning them so that they face each other, ready for seals. His attackers have begun to slow, reaching an isolated clearing. This _does not look good, _and Naruto's not going to stay to see what interrogation plans Danzou has in store for him.

It's now or never.

"Doton: Doryudan," he hisses, his fingers flying through the signs of ram, horse and dragon.

A dragon head emerges from the ground and encases him and the ANBU. It leaves a small air bubble around him but wraps itself around the ANBU in a cocoon, breaking his grasp on Naruto. Naruto takes the opportunity of the ANBU's distraction to flip through more seals – snake – ram – dog – rat – snake – tiger.

His arm transforms into rock, breaking free of the manacles. He flips through more seals, lightning fast – "Futon: Renkudon."

He takes a deep breath and blows, breaking through the rock. It splinters and the shards fly out, carried along by his wind bullets. They scatter, straight out onto the awaiting three members.

Naruto glances back quickly – the one carrying him is still encased in the rock. One is down from his rasengan. All he needs to take care of now are the two left – Dajima and Juu.

Two ANBU against an eight year old kid.

This isn't looking fair to Naruto, which means… time to pull the big guns.

Naruto bends down and picks up the kunai pack of the ANBU he disabled.

"I knew you were suspicious," Juu hisses. "You – an eight year old – should _not _be able to do that."

Then, in an unspoken signal, he and Dajima lunge in unison.

Naruto smiles.

His body may be small and unable to sustain sage mode for long, but he can sustain it _enough. _

His eyes burn yellow, rimmed with orange, and he raises two kunai, blocking the incoming attacks.

Dajima and Juu slam into him, making him skid back but Naruto jumps up. Their old momentum swings them forward and Naruto takes the fraction of the second it takes them to recover to spin through another jutsu – _"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"_

Another clone appears, equal in strength, and jumps towards Dajima. Naruto turns to face Juu.

"Confident you'll beat me?" Naruto says.

"Yes," Juu replies, and though Naruto can't see his face, he knows that he is smiling.

"And _that,_" Naruto says, "is what has won me many battles."

And then he lunges, much faster than Juu expects and slices with his kunai. Juu parries at the last moment but it's not enough – while he has saved his heart Naruto still catches his stomach. Juu hisses and reaches for his blade but Naruto doesn't give him any time.

"Kaze no Yaiba," Naruto whispers, a blade of wind forming at his fingertips, so powerful that it's invisible to the naked eye. He brushes his hand to Juu's chest and it ruptures, so violently and forcefully that his body snaps back.

The blood splatters out and Naruto jerks back – but it's not enough. The blood cakes itself over his body.

Behind him, Dajima's unconscious drops to the ground.

Dajima's _unconscious _body.

Dajima, Hyo, the other one – they were all _incapacitated. _But Juu is – he killed Juu. Not his clones, _he _did. _Naruto _did.

Naruto steps back shakily. _What has he done? _This is by far not his first kill but it's the first in _this _life. He begins to tremble and his fingernails have blood underneath but why doesn't he _feel _anything? Has he become apathetic to it all?

Naruto steps back from the carnage. Slowly, measuredly.

The emptiness scares him.

_Why is it so empty?_

Because… because _Sasuke. _

Because before _Sasuke_ was his moral compass, his other side. Whatever Sasuke did was too violent, too unnecessary, too wrong.

But now that there's no Sasuke what is he anymore?

_No no no he can't think like this. _

_This is not – this is not – this is not _who he is.

But… _who is he? _

_Sasuke would know. Sakura would know._

_He can't think like this._

Naruto turns around and _runs. _

* * *

**Sasuke**

Sasuke walks slowly away from his compound, the blood of the gate guards staining the soles of his shoes.

He didn't have to walk inside to know what had happened.

The smell of blood was pungent – so pungent he wasn't sure how he hadn't managed to smell it the last time around. It was one of the downsides of being more conscious this time around. While he knew how to forward himself in his training, make himself strong, his increased mental capabilities had also meant that he had understood, and _loved _these people more.

Elder Mako, always so stern usually, had a soft spot for little Sasuke. He had heard his uncles whispering about it bemusedly once.

His okaa-san, always looking out for him and Itachi. His otou-san, strict, stern, but he loved people in his own way.

Shisui-

Sasuke freezes. The loss of his footsteps leave the cold Konoha night in harsh silence.

Danzou… What did Danzou covet most? _Shisui's eyes. _And Danzou would _not let the massacre happen if he didn't have Shisui's eyes._

But Shisui was alive and well when the exiling was happening! Which means that either he's inside, and _dead, _or-

Or he's with Danzou.

Sasuke smiles sardonically.

He's hit the bottom now. The only way he can go is _up_.

Sure, he hasn't been able to find Danzou, but then again in his past life he had only seen and fought the man once or twice. But Shisui – _Shisui! _He had been spending _days, weeks, months, years with that guy! _He's in tune to Shisui. He can _find Shisui._

And if he can find Shisui, he can find Danzou.

Sasuke begins to chuckle quietly, darkly. His family has been taken _once again _kami knows _how _and they're going to pay Danzou is going to _pay. _He did not come back to live through the pain _once again Itachi Itachi Itachi-_

_Why did they make him do this?_

Sasuke flexes his hand, feeling the lightning at his fingertips. If he finds Danzou tonight, he can't guarantee he'll be able to walk through Konoha a free ninja. Naruto and Sakura…

_Well they aren't here._

Sasuke takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, thinking back to Sakura's signature jutsus. He can't detect identities yet, but he can sort of get a feel for the power level of the signature. Kami knows its saved his and Naruto's butts enough times, those days Sakura wasn't with them.

Sasuke reaches out and stills. He feels two very powerful ones together, out in a forest on the border of Konoha.

It _must _be Danzou and Shisui. Because it's the night of the massacre, and the Hokage has thus relieved all active ninja so that none might sense the massacre, the terror. If two very powerful signatures are active, are _fighting, _then it's Danzou.

_Stealing his cousin's eyes. _

Sasuke shunshin's through Konoha, his mind whirling, _dying – how much of this can he take before it's too much? Chasing revenge, then chasing the truth._

Sasuke stops a few ways away. The night air is cold, the light is weak. A lifetime ago the massacre had occurred on the full moon. This time the moon is dying.

He looks down at the floor. Danzou's personal bodyguard – four of them – are incapacitated, on the floor. One is dead, his chest spilling out, mingling with the forest floor. An unexpected advantage – without Danzou's personal Root guard, he'll be easier to take care of. He won't question it – hnot anything which helps him. This is his chance. To destroy the man who has evaded him all this time.

One man shakes but Sasuke moves passed him. They are only distractions. Danzou is his main goal.

He listens carefully but hears nothing. He closes his eyes again and concentrates, searching for the chakra signatures. They've moved now, and by the looks of it the fight has gone more intense.

Sasuke shunshin's again – if he's quick maybe Shisui will be okay. Maybe- _maybe someone won't leave him this time around maybe he won't be _alone alone alone-

Sasuke _runs, _through the forest, blindly searching for the two-

And then he chokes.

In front of him, Danzou pulls out the right eye of Uchiha Shisui.

His mentor, his trainer, his brother's best friend and _his _too.

Shisui looks up and his eyes widen in surprise. He reaches out with a hand to Sasuke, to stop him or call for him – but in his momentary lapse Danzou sticks a kunai between his ribs.

Uchiha Shisui dies, eyes on Sasuke.

Danzou looks up and Sasuke screams and his eyes begin to _burn._

There's pain – _so much pain and burning and _fire _and he's dying but he's not because he's being _reborn _but amidst all this he can hear Danzou – _'you shouldn't be here you shouldn't be here' – _but his _eyes _what are they doing why is he going through this again he's gone through it once already once should be enough kami why do you do this you take everything you took _Naruto _and _Sakura _and now you're taking my family too-_

Sasuke's eyes snap open.

Danzou has his hand over his eye, adjusting to the new addition, but when he looks at Sasuke he stumbles back.

"Impossible," he hisses. "_How?"_

Sasuke staggers forward.

"You killed him."

"Yes you're eight and _this form- Hyo! Dajima! Juu-"_

"_Amaterasu," _Sasuke whispers, and black flames envelop Danzou. "_Die."_

Danzou curls back, burning, but he reaches out through the flames nonetheless to unwrap the bandages on his arms. Sasuke's left eye widens and he can feel the strain, the blood beginning to pool at his tear ducts.

But one of Danzou's sharingan closes and Amaterasu disappears – _Izanagi._

"That _bastard," _Sasuke hisses. "You're going to do this? You're going to do this _again?"_

Danzou stares at him steadily. "You. How did you get the mangekyou?"

"You can't be doing this again," Sasuke says, half-delirious. "You have ten minutes left to live, one for each bastard eye on your arm. You're going to try to take me down – _again! – _in the ten minutes you have?"

Danzou eyes him steadily before rushing forward.

"Futon: Shinkugyoku!"

Sasuke narrows his eyes. That was the _exact same _jutsu Danzou had peppered him with a lifetime ago, after his Amaterasu failed. Except last time he used his summoning jutsu, and this time around he didn't have one.

The wind bullets fly towards him, but he thinks – at least his body is smaller this time, easier to dodge.

Except they're in a clearing – there's nowhere to go.

"Susano'o," he whispers, and a skeletal rib cage forms around his body. "_Die!" _he screams again and a hand reaches out and grabs Danzou, crushing him.

And then – _fucking Izanagi – _Danzou appears again.

"You can't win," Sasuke repeats, "Every time you use Izanagi you lose a majority of your chakra. You've just fought Shisui. You will _die. _Hell, you're dying anyway. Why take me down with you?"

"Tell me," Danzou says steadily, "_How did you get your sharingan."_

Sasuke smiles sardonically. "Don't ask stupid questions."

Danzou grabs some shuriken and blows a wind jutsu onto them, throwing the disks straight at Sasuke.

"Do not try to kill me," Sasuke hisses, and he swipes the disks away with his susano'o and reaches out, clasping Danzou in its grip.

"Tell me," Danzou wheezes out, but Sasuke crushes him with his Susano'o.

"You cannot hold that form forever," Danzou says from behind him, saved by Izanagi again.

"This jutsu is based on strong emotion. You've just killed my family. I have _plenty _of strong emotions."

"But you are eight," Danzou says quietly, "You are young."

Sasuke grits his teeth. He's right, but all he needs to do is _die in the next fucking ten minutes. _

"Chidori," he hisses, and his sharingan blares. He runs forward, chidori blazing almost half the size of his small body and he impales Danzou through the stomach, pinning him against the tree.

"What were you doing here with Shisui?" Sasuke sneers, "Tying up loose ends? Because that's all we are to you, right?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," Danzou says quietly, still pinned to the tree. "I know I will die."

"_Yes."_

"But… perhaps you may be saved. You have not yet turned against Konoha, only me."

"Do _not_ attempt to-"

"I am not attempting anything," Danzou says, "Just listen to me."

Sasuke smiles, half-crazed. "What could you _possibly _have to say?"

"Leave Konoha alone," Danzou says. "I do not know how you have come into such power, but leave Konoha alone."

"You have nothing to give me! You think I could _possibly _consider-"

_Sasuke-kun! _He hears in his mind. Sakura, innocent Sakura, talking to him just a few hours ago. By the swing, the Academy swing Naruto used to sit on, staring dejectedly, jealously at him. The two are weak now, and small, fragile. What would they do without him? Kami knows Wave would kill them both.

No. He can't think like that.

"Konoha will burn," Sasuke says steadily. "It _will."_

"At least," Danzou says quietly, "Not today?"

Sasuke resists the urge to scream in frustration. Why is this man so infuriating? He almost reminds him of Naruto, or Sakura.

"You deserve to die. Painfully."

"And I will. Amaterasu will finish me."

Sasuke snarls. "You better hope so."

Then he withdraws his arm from Danzou's stomach, quickly flipping through seals. Konoha will burn. But not… today. Naruto and Sakura deserve a chance, at least, after what he did a lifetime ago.

"I hope you know," Sasuke says, "that Konoha is spared today of _no reason on your behalf_."

"You wouldn't have been able to do anything anyway," Danzou says quietly. "My fight with you has tired you. My mission is accomplished."

Sasuke snarls. "Doton: Yomi Numa." He jumps back to the border of the clearing, the floor beneath Danzou turning into liquid mud.

"An A-rank earth release," Danzou says quietly as the mud swallows him up slowly. "Who are you exactly? Where did you get the sharingan?"

Sasuke watches as he sinks lower and lower into the mud, unanswering.

"Humour me," Danzou sighs, "I'm dying anyway. Tell me – just then you activated your mangekyou. But that means that you had the sharingan before. How did you get it?"

Sasuke stares down at the man who started it all.

"I had two friends, a long time ago," he finally says. "I realised very young this life that they – the ones I knew, at least – were no longer with me. And it had been… my fault. I… killed them."

"They must have been good friends," Danzou says quietly.

Sasuke takes a deep, shaky breath, raising one hand up to his bleeding eye.

"They were the best," he says, and then he turns and runs.

* * *

**Sakura**

Sakura looks down at the inconspicuous note on her door step.

It must've been left there recently – it hadn't been there when she left the house which can only mean one thing. Now that the massacre has been carried out, Danzou is tying up loose ends. And she is one of them.

_Haruno Sakura, _the note reads, _the Honourable Konoha Elder Shimura Danzou requests your presence immediately. _

Below, a set of numbers are scratched – coordinates to a clearing in Konoha Forest. She has been there before, on past endeavours with Root.

Sakura sighs, looking up at the waning moon. It seems as if Danzou has somehow traced her. He works quick – quicker than she had expected. But she'll have to go, it seems. Sakura flips the note over-

_Haruno Nanami. Haruno Tsubasa. _

Following her parents' names are their occupations, their work addresses and their citizenship numbers.

It's a not-so-subtle threat.

But she won't be coming unprepared. The clearing is ideal in the fact that it is secluded, and knowing Danzou and his group of personal bodyguards they've probably placed a barrier around the area. Not that there'll be many people actively sensing tonight – with the massacre the Hokage's probably shut down all active ninja.

But she's quite sure about why she's been taken there. It's an interrogation.

Sakura grabs her own customised Hyuuga weapons pack and straps it underneath her dress. Then she arms herself with various poisons and antidotes that she's been brewing – they're nothing strong at all seeing as the only ingredients she can get are the moment are basic – but anything will help.

Swallowing harshly Sakura jumps away, making sure the door is locked on her sleeping parents. It won't do much against what Danzou might send but it gives her a shaky peace of mind for the time being.

Sakura jumps up onto the rooftops, following the all-too-familiar path to the clearing. All of Konoha is in a dreadful light tonight. Even though she can't see or smell the blood she knows that it's there, and it's the _knowing _which makes shivers crawl up her spine, shudders of fear and disgust at the death – the death that she caused but the death which was _inevitable. _

Sakura shakes her head, continuing towards her end.

Danzou is expecting her no doubt, with this current time's bodyguards in tow. Maybe he has a Yamanaka in his throes and he'll mindwalk her. But Ino's cousin Fu didn't join until later she was sure, or if he was he isn't strong enough to be a bodyguard. But just in case, Inner Sakura is ready to attack.

Sakura begins to smell blood, the metallic tinge wafting up her nose. The Uchiha-

_No, _Sakura realises suddenly, _the Uchiha are on the other side of town. _

_This blood is coming from somewhere else._

_This blood is coming from the clearing._

Immediately Sakura quickens her pace, shunshin'ing through the streets, hurrying towards the clearing in the forest. What has happened? Danzou is there, but if there's blood…

Sakura skids to a halt. In front of her lie the bodies of four ANBU Root, signified by their white masks and tip-less tanto.

Four of them. This close to the clearing. Danzou's bodyguards?

Cautiously, Sakura suppresses her chakra, moving silently onwards towards the clearing. She closes her eyes and listens, feels. She doesn't hear anything aside from the usual forest activity but she senses a rapidly weakening chakra signal – _Danzou. _Her heart begins to beat faster and faster – _what's happened? Why- how-? _Determinedly she leaps up onto the branches and continues on towards the clearing, mind whirling but strangely _blank. _

She skids to a halt at the edge of the clearing. In the middle, Danzou lies buried in mud. Next to him, the dead body of Uchiha Shisui lies stagnant.

_They fought, _Sakura realises, _and Danzou won._

She peers closer. _No. _He hasn't won. The top of his arm is peeking out from the mud and she sees the sharingan implanted in his arms, closed eyes.

He used Izanagi.

Danzou is about to _die._

Sakura jumps down from the tree, dropping her chakra cloak. Danzou looks up slowly as she approaches.

"I'm dying," he says, "There's nothing you can do to help."

Sakura's finger twitches. "To… help? How do you know I come with friendly intentions?"

"You are connected to Root," Danzou says, "The coding would otherwise be impossible. A relative, perhaps, of a current member. Or a spy who went rogue, disguised as a little civilian girl. But I suppose the latter is untrue, considering you came after the threat to your parents."

"Why did you kill him?" Sakura asks quietly, eyes turning towards Shisui. "He didn't need to die."

"But his eyes would eventually be beneficial."

"But he _didn't_ _need to die! _And now look – his eyes are useless anyway! You're _dying!"_

"Of Amaterasu, yes. Unfortunately. But the Uchiha are coming down with me. Shisui's body next to mine… they'll assume he killed me – an honourable Konoha Council member. The Uchiha are stained. The Council will keep a close eye on the remaining boy – the Uchiha will never be free."

"You didn't have to do that," Sakura says quietly, shaking her head.

"It was necessary-"

"_No it wasn't."_

Sakura steps back, one step, then two.

"I see now," she says shakily, eyes widening. "The massacre – it had to happen. It _did, _I _knew _that. But... the reason it had to happen was because – _you!_ You isolated the Uchiha first! If you had never done that in the first place – this would _never have had to happen! _You can say all you want about saving Konoha but you – _you wanted the eyes. _All this time – _it was the eyes."_

"The Uchiha were a flight risk-"

"_My best friend is an Uchiha! _And I will _not_ let you drag them down with you."

Danzou narrows his eyes. "What are you doing girl – who are you-"

Sakura's hands whirl through seals – tiger – ox – monkey – rabbit – ram – boar –

"Don't you _dare-" _Danzou hisses.

– ox – horse – monkey – tiger – dog – tiger –

"That's an A-rank water jutsu how do you _know-"_

– snake – tiger – ox – monkey – rabbit – _bird._

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu," Sakura whispers.

Then she blows and the water pours from her mouth into the sky, rising up and up and up like a waterfall, like Zabuza's did all those lifetimes ago. And she brings it down, crashing, cascading onto the floor with such force the ground gives way and splinters.

When the water flows away, the remnants of the clearing resemble a natural disaster. Shisui's body is gone. As are Danzou's bodyguards.

"Your plan will never come to fruition," Sakura says quietly. Danzou is soaked but he remains. Shisui's mud jutsu is very strong, it seems. "Shisui suicided by jumping into the waterfall. Now his body is gone the same way. No one will ever use it again."

"How could you do this-" Danzou begins, but then he begins to sag and Sakura watches, for her, for Naruto, for _Sasuke, _as his last sharingan – _Shisui's_ sharingan, closes.

His Izanagi is completed.

Then his body bursts into black flames again, Shisui's Amaterasu eating and burning away at his flesh. Danzou closes his eyes and succumbs to the flames, body slowly burning to dust.

And Sakura watches. Watches with a careful, medical eye. Makes sure that Shisui's eye is devoured by the flame, never to be used, mistreated, ever again.

And Danzou dies, his last thoughts about two boys and a girl who knew too much.

* * *

**AN: **So... all that was totally not meant to happen. The three of them were kind of just supposed to suck it up and get over it. But as I wrote it I realised that if this actually were to happen none of them would 'get over it', so hopefully their joint (unknowing, of course) disposal of Danzou was cathartic for them.

Anyway, now that the Uchiha Massacre arc is finished, we will be time skipping again! Usually I have a bit of an idea of how my next few chapters are going to play out but, well, right now I have absolutely no idea. I've been considering a few options - the destruction of Root means Konoha is in chaos so they try that fast-tracking genin program they used in the war so that they can get more hands on deck. Or, Konoha gets their shit together and everything proceeds on as normal. Tell me what you think? Any other ideas?

Thanks to **pff, Shinen no Hikari, Suzululu4moe **and **Zoleth **for your reviews! Everything said is duly considered and taken in to make every chapter (hopefully) better. Next chapter will be up as soon as I can manage, but it might take a while as I'm still trying to think of a plot and, you know... CHRISTMAS!

Love you all! Please leave a review and let me know what you think xx


	8. The Scroll of Sealing

**AN: **Hi guys! Sorry this one's a bit late. Things have been hectic here in Sydney and I had a bit of writer's block. Hope you guys still enjoy this though :) Things should go a lot more regularly now that we won't have any more time skips.

* * *

_**The Scroll of Sealing**_

* * *

**Sakura**

"No way," Sakura deadpans.

Hinata flushes. "What do you mean? He's really smart!"

Sakura takes a deep breath in, then out. "Are you _sure?"_

Hinata pouts. "He may not look it, but he _really is!"_

Sakura sighs, a wry smile on her face. It turns out Hinata is a lot more perceptive than she'd thought.

"Yes," she says, "he really is." She sneaks a glance over to where Shikamaru is sleeping, his head in his hands. "How did you meet him anyway?"

"A Hyuuga function. All the important clans had to come."

"Mm," Sakura murmurs in response, her eyes drifting to the left of Shikamaru where Sasuke lies, similarly sleeping. The two boys seem to be able to block out the loud sounds of Chouji crunching chips to the right and the clanging of Iruka-sensei's shuriken demonstration. Most of the kids are enraptured but she and Hinata have seen this enough times from the Hyuuga elders.

She glances back again. Sasuke raises his head and yawns, his eyes gliding to Iruka-sensei before his head drops back into his arms. He doesn't look tired to Sakura's trained eye but he's never been a model student anyway. He'd always been one of those people who could pay absolutely no attention in class and still get full marks. As for her, everything she had achieved had taken hours of sweating through books.

"And Sasuke," Hinata whispers. "You _like _him."

Sakura chokes on her spit, hacking violently. Iruka pauses in his lecture to glance back at her.

"Sakura?" he asks.

"Fine," she spits out.

Iruka turns back and places the weapons on the table, beginning to write the theory on the board.

"_No," _she hisses to Hinata.

"I- I hope so," the heiress says quietly. "He's been a bit… off. Ever since the massacre you know? And Uchiha are bad news."

Sakura nods. She's been fed with the same Uchiha-hate as Hinata, driven by the Hyuuga elders. It's been quite terrible stuff but half of it is true nonetheless. Hinata has a good reason to dislike him.

"Let's stay away from him," Sakura agrees. "He's bad news."

"Very bad news," Hinata nods, her blue hair bobbing.

Sakura turns resolutely away from Sasuke, trying to block her mind off him. He's definitely better this time around – probably because Danzou kicked the bucket and they replaced him with Shikaku – a very wise decision in Sakura's point of view. She never knew the man personally, aside from healing him a few times, but his efforts in the Fourth Shinobi War convinced her that he would do well as a Konoha Councillor.

It turned out well for Sasuke anyway. Probably because his clan is so close to the Yamanaka he had a very in-depth understanding of the human psyche, he received emotional support that he never got last time around. After the massacre he'd spent quite a lot of time with Iruka and Inoichi, and as a consequence also got closer to Shikamaru as well. And it's paid off – personality wise he's a lot more amicable to be around now, even if it's still a sharp downhill from the days before the massacre. She thinks perhaps that she's the only one who appreciates how significantly more normal he is this time around – everyone still thinks he's extremely traumatised – and he is – but it's a lot better compared to last time.

"Don't forget," Iruka-sensei calls, clapping loudly to get the class's attention, "Your graduation tests are this afternoon so make sure you all go home and have a big lunch so you can come back in two hours, ready and refreshed."

"Yes Iruka-sensei!" the class choruses.

"Sasuke? Shikamaru? Did you hear me?" Iruka-sensei repeats.

Both their heads lift up.

"Yes Iruka-sensei," they murmur.

"Good," he says, snapping his textbook shut. "You are free to go."

Immediately the whole class rises, grabbing their books and shoving them in their bags. Hinata shoots her a small smile.

"Wanna come over?"

"I can't," Sakura sighs. "Okaa-san wants me back home."

"That sucks," Hinata says. "Everyone's been wondering why you haven't been visiting lately."

Her contract with Hinata had expired two years ago but the two had remained staunch friends. Even if Hinata still doesn't know that Sakura was her secret bodyguard, the elders still liked to keep in touch every so often, out of habit if nothing else.

"Okaa-san really wants me to do well in the exams," Sakura explains. "So she's made me her 'lucky lunch'. Not that I think it'll help much."

Lies. She's extremely confident she can pass and her parents don't even know about the exams. But while Sasuke looks a bit better this time around, Naruto's in the dust. He's never – _never _been able to produce a normal clone technique, not even in his past life.

Mizuki is still looking at him strangely though, and Sakura is pretty confident that he's still got the 'steal the Scroll of Sealing' plan. All seems to be well and on track except…

She's worried.

Naruto seems off. He's twitchy, shaky. He and Sasuke have seemed off ever since the massacre and she _doesn't know why. _She knows that Sasuke has changed this time around, but that makes sense considering how the political climate of Konoha has changed. But Naruto is _off, _and she _doesn't know if he was like this the last time around. _

Before she had always been enamoured with Sasuke and the only real time she noticed Naruto was when he stole her seat next to Sasuke – something which has yet to happen this time around – and when he was sitting at the swings by himself after failing the exam. She _doesn't remember _if he was like this last time around and it _kills _her.

Because it seems like he's trying too hard now – the pranks, everything. Defacing the Hokage's monument happens at least once a week and the higher ups are getting twitchy as well. Everyone's getting twitchy as well.

Last time he was lucky because none of the shinobi the Hokage sent out found him – Iruka did. But that – all of that – was _chance! _

Mizuki is going to repeat his actions but she's scared. The shinobi the Hokage sent out after Naruto were regular chuunin and jounin – if one of them finds Naruto first, with all the annoyance and hatred that's brewing, she's scared that something might happen to him. Given the prejudice already present against his prisoner one of them could kill him and no one would miss him. Except Naruto at this age is _not _equipped to deal with such threats.

Which means that unfortunately, in true Root fashion, Sakura must eliminate the threat.

"Alright then, I'll head off first," Hinata says.

Sakura nods and smiles. Hinata slings her bag over her shoulder and takes off with the rest of the Academy hoard.

"Don't forget to study!" Iruka-sensei shouts over the ruckus.

Sakura quickly slips out of the classroom and shunshin's towards the Hokage's mansion where the Scroll of Sealing is kept. Naruto managed to do it last time, kami knows how, but everyone was on his tail in an instant – everyone _knew _it was him.

And she knows it's because of the sensory ninja stationed outside. If she can just… muddle him up a bit…

He's probably jounin level, Sakura expects. She'd tried to find out the rosters but without the Hyuuga connections things like this have been harder and harder to discover. The Hyuuga are much less willing to stick their necks out for someone who is no longer benefiting the clan.

Sakura pauses outside the mansion and climbs up the tree, slowly and careful to not make a sound. She has a pill in her belt – one that will muddle up the senses for six to twelve hours. She'd made it last night from different herbs she'd scavenged throughout her years and hopefully it will stay the sensory ninja enough to hide Naruto's scent.

Sakura peeks through the leaves of the tree at the mansion. It's an impressive fort – one of Konoha's tallest buildings with a bright red 'Fire' kanji painted at the top of the round ceiling. It contains many forbidden scrolls, all protected by seals and traps of some sort or another. Naruto made it through once, she's sure he can do it again. His inanimate threats she's not worried about – it's the animate ones she has to deal with.

Sakura genjutsu's her appearance quickly, morphing herself so that she's taller, a grown kunoichi with black hair and blue eyes. It's one of her prettiest aliases and she's adjusted it so that her age is similar to the sensory ninja's. Adjusting her fake headband across her forehead for a final touch Sakura jumps over to the standard treetop routes taken by Konoha ninja.

She drops down in front of the sensory ninja, smiling sheepishly.

"Hey! Sorry to bother you, but have you seen Aoi-chan?"

The sensory ninja pauses, turning around before looking Sakura up and down. "Who?"

"Oh!" Sakura says awkwardly, forcing a blush up to her cheeks. "Um brown hair, green eyes, kind of tall, really thin? Chuunin."

Opposite her, the ninja runs a hand through his hair as he thinks. She takes his moment of distraction to reach into her belt and crush the pill, smearing the powder across her fingertips.

"No, sorry," the ninja says with an apologetic smile.

Sakura groans. "No worries. Thanks anyway." Her eyes slide over to the other ninja's.

"I'm Nanami," she says, holding out her hand.

"Tsubasa," he says, grasping her hand firmly.

Sakura smiles, making sure the powder on her fingertips is completely smeared and absorbed by his skin.

"If I see you again we should have coffee."

Tsubasa blushes. "U-um sure."

Sakura sends him one last smile before walking away, making sure her gait is as casual as possible. The poison should be absorbed in around a minute, and then he'll be useless. This time around, Naruto will be safe.

Sakura pauses, just out of sight.

The Scroll of Sealing is currently unguarded, technically, and will be for the next six to twelve hours.

Is it safe?

But more importantly, can… can she afford to take a look?

No, no. That's bad. Wrong.

But… but there must be so much _knowledge _in there.

Maybe… she can. Just to make sure there aren't any more traps that could get Naruto. Yeah.

Sakura leaps into the trees and changes her henge again, this time reverting back to her twelve year old body except with black hair and black eyes – features best for sneaking. She's also camouflaged her clothes – after all, bright red dresses aren't the best for activities such as this. But she'll need to be quick.

The sensory ninja has only lost his ability to _sense _but she knows that he or some other ninja will be doing regular patrols. How Naruto got passed those last time, she has no idea. But he's not her main concern right now.

Well, he is, but, well-

Sakura shakes her head, ridding herself of thoughts. She sneaks up into the trees and circles the building, looking for a viable window. It's a relatively hot day so she's sure at least one window will be open, especially considering how careless Konoha chuunin on guard duty are.

Now that she thinks about it, the Hokage's mansion is horrendously guarded. Why couldn't Mizuki just get the scroll himself? _Naruto, _at _twelve, _could do it.

She won't question her luck though. Sakura slides forward, muffling her chakra before slipping into the window.

Immediately she's hit with a blast of cold air – the building is well insulated, always at prime temperature. The exact location of the Scroll of Sealing she doesn't know, but hell if Naruto could find it, again at _twelve, _she sure as hell can.

Sakura scans the rooms, looking for chakra signatures. There are ninja patrols around, just as she'd expected, but they're all average chuunin and should be pretty easy to avoid.

Sakura darts through the hallways, feeling extremely anticlimactic. The chuunin aren't even bothering to check their surroundings and the scroll is in the third room she checks. No wonder Naruto could do it. She checks the surroundings again - coast clear - and slips into the room.

The Scroll itself is in a glass container, wired with what looks to be extremely amateurish, or at least rushed, traps. She disarms them easily - a wire removed here and there - and lifts the container, still feeling extremely anticlimactic.

It's only once she opens the Scroll that she understands why it's so horrendously guarded - all of the jutsu are completely unusable. Even if one did steal the Scroll there would be pretty much nothing they could perform. All the techniques required either insane amounts of chakra, some specific ninja tool, or a kekkai genkai - most usually Hashirama's wood release.

Plus, the scroll is _enormous._

She's not even a third through when she hears the footsteps of the patrols again. This whole expedition seemed to be a complete _waste-_

Sakura pauses and eyes the technique written in front of her.

_Yin Healing Wound Destruction – In'yu Shometsu._

She knows this. It's Kabuto's technique. It allowed him to predict the target of an attack and send medical chakra there, thus preventing him from taking any damage when the attack hit.

It's one which cannot be performed without perfect chakra control. This is the technique which made Kabuto so invaluable to Orochimaru as it allowed him to keep his test subjects alive much longer than feasible. The technique which inspired her own shishou, Senju Tsunade, to increase survival rates for various surgeries. The technique which allowed Kabuto to survive Naruto's deadly rasengan.

Sakura eyes the page carefully, willing her brain to remember every aspect before she rolls up the Scroll again, replacing the glass container quickly before slipping out of the room, a fraction of a second before the patrols round the room again.

* * *

**Naruto**

Iruka pauses, eyeing Naruto apologetically before saying – "Clone jutsu."

Naruto sighs. This is one thing he won't have to pretend he's bad at. Sasuke had walked out of the graduation test looking extremely satisfied, no doubt topping the class again. Sakura, whom he'd also had an eye on, had been mediocre by the looks of it. If he simply stuffs up his exam, Team 7 will happen again. So he'd toned down all of the usual exam components, making sure he barely passes each. Except with the clone jutsu, there'll be no pretending necessary. For jutsus like the clone jutsu - stuff like the leaf-twirling exercise – the chakra control necessary meant that he would never, ever be able to perform them. He couldn't even do it at his peak a lifetime ago.

"Clone jutsu," Naruto says half-heartedly, his hands forming the seal. His clone flops, then dissipates into smoke.

Mizuki's lips curl up into a smile.

"I'm sorry Naruto," Iruka says apologetically.

Naruto shrugs despondently, making sure to will the tears to come. Mizuki needs to think him vulnerable enough to manipulate.

"Well, it's over now. I'm sorry but you've failed," Mizuki says, faux-sympathetically. "Why don't you go wait outside for your parents- I mean, why don't you go wait outside? We'll dismiss you in a few minutes and you can head home."

"Sure," Naruto sighs, hate simmering under the surface. He hasn't been able to look at Mizuki the same way this time around, knowing what he did – or will do. And he's sure that the slip about the parents wasn't a slip – it was another carefully placed knife to put him down further.

Naruto pauses just outside the door. The Academy testing room had been safe territory – familiar territory. But once he's outside he's back _there _again. Back where he's scared that he'll… _snap._

Sakura had talked to him about this, many years back. Hyuuga Hanabi was in the process of being evaluated for a position as a jounin instructor after being off the field since the Fifth War. She passed all the physical tests, naturally, but Sakura had been worried about the emotional side. Hanabi had seemed fine on the outside but a mindwalk by Ino had confirmed that the death of Neji had hit her hard, and that that along with the horrors of war had scarred the young Hyuuga. She had a disease called PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – and Sakura was scared that if she was put back into combat situation there might be something there – a trigger, of sorts – which could make her flip.

It can go two ways, she had said. Either she could enter a state of regression, much like Tsunade had done after Dan's death, or she could go the other way – _Sasuke's _way.

And Naruto feared – _fears _that now he is going _Sasuke's way._

Swallowing harshly he pushes open the door and steps outside. His lack of a hitai-ite isn't as prominent to him this time around but his classmate's stares are all the same. It doesn't help that he was right after Sasuke – Uchiha, then Uzumaki – but Naruto makes his way to the all-too-familiar swing and sits down, eyeing his classmates in front.

Sasuke seems… happy. Well, as happy as he can be. Perhaps content would be a better way to describe it. On the other hand Sakura seems elated. Knowing his crush at this age, she was book smart but physically she was far behind. It had been her physical results which had pulled her down to the middle-ranking kunoichi. Otherwise she would have given Ino a good run for her money.

Sasuke seems to be prime for taking out the top spot of their graduating class – last time he had been beaten by Ino because his teamwork skills were so low. But he's improved much this time around so there's no real competition for the Uchiha heir. Even though Naruto knows he could probably beat his best friend's twelve-year-old ass to the ground.

Naruto shifts, feeling a presence behind him. _Mizuki. _

A hand falls onto his shoulder and Naruto represses the urge to wince.

"Naruto," Mizuki-sensei says gently. "Do you want to talk about it?"

_No._

"Yeah. Thanks Mizuki-sensei."

Mizuki holds out a hand. "Come on, let's go talk somewhere private. I reckon I know something that might help."

Naruto forces his expression into one of hopefulness and admiration. "Really?"

Mizuki smiles friendlily. "_Really. _Come on."

Naruto grasps his hand and Mizuki pulls him up, a comforting smile on his face.

"Let's go up to the rooftops. The sunset's always beautiful up there, and it might cheer you up. I know when I'm having trouble the sunset always helps."

Damn. Mizuki is a smooth son of a bitch.

"Thanks sensei," Naruto says, following the chuunin away from the rest of the Academy graduates and up into the rooftops.

"Hey, listen Naruto," Mizuki says, taking a seat on the roof. Naruto plops down next to him, careful that his mask doesn't break.

"Yeah?"

"I felt real bad for you, you know? So I did some digging around. Turns out, there's another way you can graduate. It's outdated but definitely still valid."

Naruto whizzes around, looking up at him excitedly. "_Really_?"

"Yep," Mizuki says brightly, popping the 'p' at the end. "Listen here." He waves Naruto forward and the blond scoots over.

"You know the Hokage Mansion right?"

"Round, fire kanji at the top?"

"That's it," Mizuki nods. "There's a scroll inside – it's called the Scroll of Sealing. If you manage to get it and learn a jutsu from it, you pass!"

"Wow!" Naruto says. "_Really?"_

"Really really," Mizuki-sensei says, an amused smile on his face.

Naruto bites down on the hateful urge to snarl. Mizuki is a good manipulator, but preying on the innocent – at least, who he thinks is innocent – is unacceptable. And on top of that betraying Iruka? This man was the first real concrete antagonist of Naruto's life, and though he paled in comparison to the likes of Orochimaru and Madara, the first always leaves a lasting impression.

"I'll do it!" Naruto exclaims, portraying his usual exuberant exterior.

For a second Mizuki's smile turns sinister but he clamps down on it in an instant and the friendly smile is back.

"Wonderful. I'm proud of you Naruto."

"Thanks sensei," Naruto smiles.

He leaps off the rooftops and heads towards the Hokage mansion, Mizuki's eyes baring into his back. The actual stealing he's not worried about – he completed it once, he can do it again. The Scroll itself isn't that well-guarded anyway, considering that all the techniques require kekkai genkai, immense chakra supplies, perfect chakra control, or even all three. Few can really harness the scroll – the First and his father being a select few.

Last time a few smoke bombs and his usual prank paraphernalia had done the job but he's certain that this time he doesn't need any – his memory has always been good, except maybe in regards to Shino's name – and he remembers the placing of all the traps in vivid detail. After all, this had been the first monumental event of his life.

Naruto halts to a stop outside the mansion. The patrols seem to be the same from what he can see – one sensory ninja posted outside, no doubt chuunin patrols inside.

Simple stuff, really.

Naruto jumps down onto the ground and backtracks around the building. Windows have been left open – careless, but better for him so he's not complaining. The chuunin are also easy to avoid – their footsteps are loud and easy to detect, especially with his enhanced senses. He can pretty much pinpoint exactly where they are, no need of Sakura's fancy chakra detecting jutsu.

That is an advantage of stealing this scroll, he supposes. After all, the Hokage can post chuunin to guard it without worrying about them taking a peek and learning forbidden jutsu – they wouldn't be able to perform it anyway. Speaking of such things, could _Mizuki _even perform some of that jutsu? After all, he didn't seem very powerful last time around if a twelve-year-old him could take him down with kage bunshin. And Naruto knows that the twelve-year-old him from back then is far worse off than he is now.

The chuunin patrols are heading his way. He can either make a dash straight for the scroll and cut it close or he can wait for them to pass before going in.

Naruto purses his lips – the sensory ninja must already be on him. He knows that Mizuki will go tell Iruka but if one of the ninja the Hokage sends out gets to him first he'll have to incapacitate them. That's not practical and… he doesn't know if he's ready yet.

Naruto shakes his head. He _has _to be ready. This is _monumental- _and there's no time to waste. He's going to have to make a dash for it.

Naruto rushes forward, chakra dancing at the soles of his feet, quickening his speed. He slips into the room of the Scroll of Sealing and ducks behind a bookshelf. A few moments later the chuunin patrol arrives, peaks in the door, and leaves.

Naruto waits a few more seconds before slipping back into view, scampering towards the scroll. This time the process is a lot cleaner – he disables the traps first so that no explosions go off before removing the scroll, moving to attach it to his back.

Then he pauses. Outside in the clearing, he'll only have time to look through the first few pages – the kage bunshin. But this time his run was quicker. He's got a few extra moments. Maybe he can learn something else from this scroll.

Quickly and quietly, he places the scroll back onto the table and opens it. He rolls it open, further and further, passed all these jutsus he'll never be able to do without Hashirama's wood jutsu, Sakura's perfect control, or various other requirements completely bizarre.

But then he stops.

_Adamantine Sealing Chains – Kongo Fusa._

It feels as if his heart has stopped.

This is his mother's jutsu. One only completable with Uzumaki chakra. Her infamous technique which moulded the her chakra into chains, chains which she used both offensively and defensively – chains strong enough to break through Wood Release techniques.

Chains strong enough to hold Kurama.

Sure, Kurama will not cooperate now, but he will eventually. In the meantime however, his chakra is another story.

This will bring his strength back, this will lift him up to a level not what he was in his past life – not without Sage mode – but _close._

Naruto smiles, attaching the scroll to his back just like he did many, many years ago.

A wave of nostalgia hits him hard. This had been the action which had spiralled the rest of his life. Just like the massacre had been the catalyst for Sasuke, and Sasuke's betrayal the catalyst for Sakura, this – _this, _the knowledge of the kyuubi, the kage bunshin – this is what catapulted _him. _

A rush of _something _fills his belly – something not pleasant, but not unpleasant either. Just something… filling. As if this is what he's been waiting to do.

Naruto can't help the smile which curves up. He's felt disjointed, lost, since the massacre. But now, he feels as if he has a purpose again. He needs to stop looking back, and start looking forward – _forward into the future._

_Into Team 7._

* * *

**Sasuke**

Sasuke clears his throat awkwardly.

Hinata jumps, whirling around in surprise.

"Sasuke! W-What are you doing here?"

Sasuke shifts awkwardly, eyeing the Hyuuga compound sign. The gate guards have been tailing him ever since he entered, looking for the heiress.

"I was wondering if you could uh, help me with something?"

Hinata raises her eyebrows before quickly masking her features, remembering that she is still in her compound and is expected to act with dignity.

"With what?" she asks cautiously. "Nothing illegal."

"Definitely," Sasuke says. Even though he's been acting friendlier and less 'homicidally', as Sakura and Naruto used to put it, talking to girls is still something he had never done much, not in this life or the last.

"It's just… I need to find Naruto."

This time Hinata can't help the surprised look on her face. "Really? _Why?"_

Sasuke shrugs. "Um. You know. Boy stuff." Inwardly, he cringes. That was a _terrible _answer. But luckily Hinata doesn't seem to mind, or care for that matter.

She switches on her byakugan, scanning around Konoha. While the heiress had never been the strongest at this age, especially not compared to her genius cousin or little sister, Hinata had always had unparalleled range in her byakugan and that is what he needs. He'd tried finding Naruto himself but in the maze of forests around Konoha but it had been hard and there were already ninja around, looking for the Scroll of Sealing. It would've been bad if they'd stumbled across him – after spending all that effort delicately crafting himself as a normal functioning member of society, albeit one shaken from the massacre, it would be extremely annoying to have the suspicion of being connected to the theft of the Scroll of Sealing placed upon him.

But he needs to make sure that everything which happened last time around happens this time around. That way he can manipulate events to his liking – as Sakura had once said in one of her brief phases where she was obsessed with time travel, keeping the past predictable makes it pliable.

"The forest just behind the Administrations building, looks like," Hinata finally says. "Around a hundred metres in."

Sasuke nods, forcing his lips up into a smile. "Thanks Hinata."

She clears her throat awkwardly and looks away. "No problem."

Sasuke pauses for a second, unsure of how he should take his leave before groaning and just going for it, turning around and walking back outside.

The Hyuuga gate guards continue to tail him until he's a good hundred metres away from the compound. His connections with the Nara clan, with Shikaku the new Council member, has helped to ease relations between him and the other clans. It's an advantage that turned out much better than he'd anticipated – all the clans had been so antagonistic towards the Uchiha leading up to the massacre that he hadn't noticed how much different his life would be now that they are sympathetic to him.

He's been seen as the victim in all of this, innocent and unknowing but willing to be good to Konoha. That's made them much more compromising towards him – the Hyuuga had let him approach their heiress while a lifetime ago they would've turned him away at the gate.

This new friendliness has also made it easier for him to move around without being watched – the council trusts him because Shikaku does. And Shikaku does because the Yamanaka do – a mindwalk by Inoichi had supposedly cleared him of any craziness.

Too bad he'd taken a leaf from Inner Sakura and completely fooled him. Inoichi wasn't careful or too probing, probably because he thought that at eight Sasuke couldn't do jack shit. And it was true, last time around at least. But after being in the prison cells of at least three different villages Sasuke has learnt to guard his mind.

Sasuke waits another minute for the gate guards to completely disappear. He's vowed to be extra careful around their Hyuuga – their creepy eyes have always unnerved him, even if he _knows _that the sharingan triumphs over the byakugan any day. It doesn't help that Naruto used to be close with the heiress and he'd always had a nagging feeling that whenever the blonde was suspicious of him he sent his girlfriend to keep an eye on him.

Sasuke glances up at the sky. The moon is up and he's pretty sure that this is the time that Naruto's caught by Iruka. The Hyuuga gate guards should be long gone by now so he's safe to move.

Sasuke shoots chakra to his feet and runs, scampering up a tree before tearing through the treetops towards the area Hinata had pointed out, resolutely ignoring the administrations building as he passes it. The place doesn't carry good memories but he's managed to keep a staunch façade whenever he's around the place in public. It brings back memories – bad memories – and thoughts like _he should have been stronger maybe then Shisui wouldn't have died and Itachi wouldn't have left-_

Sasuke shakes his head violently, slowing down as he senses three chakra signatures close by.

Naruto, Iruka and Mizuki. It looks like the fight's already under way.

Sasuke stills, taking in the environment around him. The forests are always a hard place to stay inconspicuous in with all the leaves and twigs scattered about – a small move may rustle a whole branch or snap a twig. It's usually not a problem with foreign ninja as they're not as in tune to the forest and its sounds. But with Konoha ninja it's another story – living so long in the village hidden by the leaves means that all its ninja, even its civilians, knows the sounds of the forest, the chirping of the insects, the small tell-tale sounds of silence which call trouble.

Cautiously, Sasuke makes his way closer to the scene. He's done more inconspicuous shit these twelve years than he did in his whole lifetime last time. And he hasn't even gotten better! His body's just wired for straight up offensive, like Naruto's. Only Sakura could ever pull stuff like this off every time. Effortlessly too.

"…I'm not going to let an idiot like you get the scroll." Iruka.

"You're the idiot! Naruto's the same as _me." _The wonderful Mizuki-sensei.

"Same as you?"

"Anything is possible with that scroll. There's no way Naruto, the monster fox, won't use its powers."

A rush of anger surges up Sasuke's chest, filling his vision with red before he clamps down on it harshly, his fingernails digging into the palm of his hands.

"Yeah you're right."

Sasuke stiffens. But Iruka-sensei – didn't he support Naruto?

"-but Naruto is different. He's an excellent student that I recognise. He's hardworking, earnest, clumsy, even though no one recognises him. He knows the pain of others. He's not a monster fox. He's Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha!"

Sasuke feels a surge of pride. Iruka has no idea how true those words will be in the future. It is only Konoha – _Konoha which clamps down on power._

"What an idiot. Iruka, I said I would kill you later but you know what? I take that back. Die now!"

Sasuke's eyes widen and he risks a glance, poking his head out around his tree. Mizuki is charging, a large shuriken in his hands – heading straight for a collapsed Iruka.

In a flash his hands reach for his kunai pouch, ready to deflect the blow-

But Naruto is quicker. The blonde appears in – _is that a yellow flash? – _and Mizuki skids back. Sasuke's eyes fly to Naruto – and is he _crying? _Naruto – the strong Naruto he'd known – is crying.

"Damn you," Mizuki groans, jolting Sasuke back to reality. Immediately he scolds himself. What had he been thinking, about to intervene like that?

"Don't lay a finger on Iruka-sensei," Naruto growls, and for a second Sasuke thinks he sees yami Naruto. "I'll kill you if you do."

"Talk while you can," Mizuki scoffs, "I'd finish a kid like you in a second."

Naruto simply smiles.

Mizuki snarls, growing more crazed in the silence. "Why don't you try then? You damned monster fox-"

"Kage bunshin no jutsu," Naruto says quietly, and something crawls up Sasuke's chest, blossoming like a flower, like Sakura but _more-_

Sasuke jumps back away, just before thousands of Naruto clones storm the forest.

"What-" Mizuki says, stumbling back.

Sasuke smiles.

"Why don't you…" Naruto says quietly. "…come and 'get me'?"

Sasuke risks peering over further but he can't see Naruto's face – only Mizuki's. And his sensei lifts up his head to the sky and screams.

Sasuke ducks back behind his tree as the thousands of Naruto clones pounce. Mizuki's screams escalate in volume, his chakra fluctuates unevenly, unhealthily. Sasuke begins to detect more chakra signatures heading in their direction, alerted by the screams and the chakra pulses.

He jumps down from his tree and streaks a few distances away, making sure to cloak his chakra. It wouldn't be good to be caught.

Eventually the Hokage's ninja gather at the scene. Once he's sure that they're all too absorbed by what's just happened he peeks out again, surveying the scene. Iruka is debriefing some of the ninja on what happened while others are checking Mizuki. He looks really badly beaten up - knowing Naruto's fighting style first hand, it can't have been a pretty fight.

The Scroll of Sealing is picked up by a chuunin and strapped to his back. Sasuke zones in on the sight.

In his peripheral vision, Iruka pulls Naruto aside for a private talk. In the meantime the chuunin breaks away from the throng, heading back towards the Hokage's mansion to put the scroll back.

Sasuke stills.

This is… an opportunity.

Sasuke slips away from the fight scene just Iruka hands Naruto his hitai-ite. The chuunin is by himself, luckily, and he looks to be an Inuzuka considering the hound next to him.

Inuzuka are easy enough to take down, Sasuke thinks, remembering Kiba. He tails him, just out of smelling distance until they're both a good distance from the fight scene. He's approaching the main village and Sasuke knows that now is the time to move in.

"Uchiha!" the Inuzuka says in surprise, his nose in the air.

Sasuke drops down from the tree next to him. The Inuzuka are really a strong clan – they, the Hyuuga and the Akimichi are one of the reasons there're so few spies in Konoha. But the Uchiha will always triumph.

Sasuke's eyes spin into the sharingan and both the owner and the dog drop to the ground. The genjutsu will be momentary and hopefully he can use one of Sakura's easier jutsu to revive them.

He quickly detaches the scroll from the Inuzuka's back and unrolls it. He should have a bit of time before the others arrive, but better to be safe than sorry.

Immediately he frowns as he scans the scroll. For the most part it's _useless_. Most of the techniques are undoable, unless you have some crazy combination of perfect chakra control, Hashirama's wood release and a ninja tool. He continues unravelling the scroll but nothing much comes up. It does make sense though, now that he thinks about it – Uchiha secrets are so well-guarded that they'd never appear in a scroll like this.

Almost near the end however, one technique catches his eye.

_Five Elements Seal – Gogyo Fuin_

This is Orochimaru's technique - a seal which used the five elements – metal, wood, water, fire and earth – instead of the five chakra elements of earth, water, fire, wind and lightning. Orochimaru had used it to block or disturb his target's chakra flow. Sometimes, it made the target unconscious, unable to fight for some time. But Sasuke remembers it because it was used on _Naruto._

The odd-numbered seal had created an imbalance on Naruto's even numbered seal, preventing him from utilising the nine-tail's chakra, or even controlling his own.

Sasuke's sharingan spins, memorising the information before rolling up the scroll. The hound is beginning to stir and so is the Inuzuka. It seems they heal fast and he won't have to use Sakura's technique.

Carefully Sasuke replaces the scroll back on the back of the Inuzuka. He shouldn't remember anything if his genjutsu worked. He's never been good at them – not like Itachi – but the Inuzuka are horrible at such things so he should be alright.

Sasuke takes off, back to his new home next to the Nara compound.

The kyuubi was an advantage of the blonde's in his past life, one which when mixed with other techniques like the sage mode made him deadly. But with this seal on hand, he can even the playing field. If Naruto ever decides to bring out his furry friend, well...

Sasuke is ready.

* * *

**AN: **So what do you think? That's Naruto's first episode done - now we're moving into actual depicted events, and with no time skips everything should flow better.

Great big thanks to **Broken Reveries, InARealPickle, Guest, konohaaaa, peachycupcake, Shinen no Hikari **and **DaManKaliel **for your reviews! I love hearing all of your comments!

Hope you guys are still enjoying this, and make sure to send me a review/message if you have any ideas or comments x


	9. Team 7 - I

**AN: **Hope you all had a very merry christmas! This chapter brings together Team 7 - finally! So yeah, I'm quite excited :)

Also,** Shinen no Hikari **mentioned that Sakura seemed to be portrayed as a better ninja than the other two, while Sasuke and Naruto were sort of diminished. Thanks a lot for pointing this out - I think one reason is because out of Team 7, Sakura is actually the only main character I've written with so I'm a bit unconsciously biased towards her. I also don't have as big of an understanding of the other two as I do her, and I think that's why I've forgotten some of Naruto and Sasuke's strong points. Forgive me x

However I've also planned for Team 7 to 'come into themselves' at different stages – Sakura was the earliest, as I feel that as the smartest she would have been able to sort of get her shit together the fastest, especially as she wasn't terribly scarred by this past like Naruto and Sasuke were. As you will see however, at the end of this chapter, Naruto's turn is next. He'll start reconnecting with his father's jutsu next chapter and hopefully that will develop well :)

Well, without further ado, read and enjoy!

* * *

_**Team 7 - I**_

* * *

**Sakura**

Sakura pauses, eyeing her wardrobe with a critical stare.

It's been divided into two sections. In the first section she has her usual garb – pink and red dresses, nice girly clothes she bought with her mum - stuff like that. But behind that she'd carved an indent into her wall, covered by a panel. In that section she has the clothes that the Hyuuga had supplied her – lightweight, camouflaged, expensive materials – stuff fit for a bodyguard.

So the question is – does she want to keep her persona, or does she want to start being practical?

Sakura purses her lips. According to her memory, today should only be team selections and meeting their jounin instructor. Technically there should be no fighting, nothing which would require her to change her persona.

So red dress it is.

Except… she had really wanted to define her second chance life as doing something for the better. As going into it blazing, ready to take on the world. She wanted to give a statement, to say – _look at me. I'm no longer weak._

"Stop," she scolds herself quickly. She can't give up the advantage of the known for a simple self-egotistic exercise.

She grabs the dress and slips it on. Sure, she's pretty and cute, but… it's not _her_. It's not _Root Commander Haruno-sama, _one of the New Sannin, the Girl who Levels Mountains_. _And her _hair. _It's long, and impractical, and goodness knows how Neji does it because she _can't._

She's not cutting it though – that would be worse than changing her ninja wear. But perhaps she can compromise.

Sakura grabs her kunai and cuts off a few inches before pulling her hair up into a bun, making the shorter length unnoticeable.

"Sakura-chan!" her mother calls from downstairs, "Breakfast's ready!"

"I'm not having any!" Sakura calls back as she straps her kunai pouch to her leg, along with her vial of poisons. She checks her reflection one last time in the mirror. She looks naïve and innocent, just like her persona, but it just isn't _her_. At least the bun makes her look more mature – a small condolence, supposedly.

Sakura makes her way down the stairs. Her mother shoots her a stern look.

"I know you want to diet for your Sasuke-kun Sakura, but today's a big day for you. Maybe you should have a bit?"

Sakura smiles softly. "It's alright okaa-san. I'll have a big lunch at Hinata-chan's okay?"

"Alright," her mother sighs. "At least I know the Hyuuga always overfeed you. They seem to love you Sakura – it's like I have a little ninja on my hands already!"

Sakura grins. "You betcha!"

Her mother laughs, patting her on the head before ushering her out the door. "On you go then Sakura. Have fun!"

"Bye 'kaa-san!" Sakura calls. She can't help the smile that lights her face as she walks away. It's been awhile since her parents have said 'have fun'. The many years she had lived previously, the 'have fun' had long morphed into 'stay safe'.

But not now. These years have been restful for the most part, and for once she wants to strive for her mother's call of 'have fun'.

She reaches the Yamanaka flower shop just as the blonde exits.

"Good morning Sakura," Ino nods.

Immediately she's hit by a sense of deja-vu. While she and Ino had never formed a friendship this time around they had still both been civil to each other, mutual in their dislike of Ami.

"Good morning Ino," Sakura says back politely.

The blonde begins to walk towards the Academy and a sad feeling begins to crawl up Sakura's chest. While she and Hinata have a great friendship, it was one achieved at the sacrifice of all those years with Ino. While Sakura remembers their unique bond of love and rivalry, Ino will never carry these memories anymore. They're just… _hers._

Sakura shakes her head and follows the blonde on the path towards the Academy. Today is the day of Team Selections and even though she already knows her team, her heart is beating a million times a minute.

She had been carrying on with her own life, Naruto with his and Sasuke with his but _this – _this is the first time they'll be reunited. Well, united in Sasuke and Naruto's eyes. The two probably aren't happy with that.

But even though Sasuke killed her and Naruto watched it happen she can't help the giggle which escapes her. Because her whole life has been defined by this team – _Team 7 – _and it's happening. It's happening!

The Academy looms above her. In front of her, Ino opens the door.

"Sasuke-kun!" the blonde squeals immediately.

Sakura pokes her head in the door. The seat next to Sasuke is this time curiously empty. But it makes sense, she supposes – after all, what's the chance of that incident happening again? – but it still leaves a strange feeling of emptiness in her chest.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun!" Ino squeals, quickly plopping herself down into the seat next to him. Sasuke lifts his head from his arms and his gaze drifts away from Ino, right at her.

Sakura clamps down on the feeling of terror which rushes up her spine, willing herself to meet his gaze straight on. His eyes are black, like the abyss of death, and it's been a long time since she's seen them so clear, untainted by his dojutsu.

"Sakura!" Hinata calls, "Over here!"

Sakura breaks her gaze from Sasuke, forcing down the blush about to rise up. Hinata is waving her over from the seat in front of Shikamaru and Sasuke. Sakura smiles – her best friend's crush on the Nara is really, _really _adorable.

"Hey Hinata!" she says, plopping down next to the Hyuuga. But she can still feel the gaze of Sasuke boring into her head.

"You've changed your hair," Hinata says. "It looks nice."

"Thanks," Sakura echoes. Of course. That was why Sasuke was staring – she changed her hair. What had she been thinking?

Behind them, Ino squeals again. Sakura winces – had she been that annoying as a kid? Now she might actually understand why Sasuke was constantly calling her annoying. Being in the same team as someone like Ino? She probably couldn't stand it either. It's a miracle that Naruto even liked her with someone like Hinata looking at him. Except... the heiress isn't this time around. And this time Naruto isn't even here yet. Why is he late? Well, he's not _really – _he still has a few minutes – but the blonde she knew at this age was always enthusiastic, arriving early for important events such as this.

"This is so troublesome," she hears Shikamaru groan from behind.

"At least we'll be together, right Shikamaru?" Chouji grins.

"Yeah," Shikamaru replies. "But Sasuke'll be a loner."

"Tch."

Sakura rolls her eyes. Typical Sasuke.

"I wonder who he'll get…" Chouji mumbles.

"Not Ino at least," the Uchiha mutters under his breath.

"What?" Ino says loudly. "I didn't hear you Sasuke!"

"Oh yeah," Chouji says, ignoring the blonde. "She's with us."

The door opens and immediately Sakura looks over, assaulted by the familiar feel of Naruto's chakra. There's something strange about it… something which reeks of Kurama. But Naruto looks normal – sheepishly rubbing his hand on the back of his head, scuttling to a seat in the front row. His chakra supply also feels smaller – had he been training? But what could have taken up so much chakra?

"Of course," Sakura mutters. The kage bunshin – how had she forgotten?

"Naruto passed," Shikamaru murmurs from behind. "He has a headband."

"Really?" Chouji says.

"Of course," Sasuke mutters, a strange tone in his voice.

"He'll be in your team then," Shikamaru observes. Sasuke falls silent.

"How come?" Chouji asks.

"The top ranking genin is always put with the lowest ranking, unless there're special circumstances like our Ino-Shika-Cho."

"What about the kunoichi?" Chouji asks. Sakura digs her fingernails into her table.

"Middle ranking," Shikamaru says smoothly. "From results I'm guessing Ami?"

"Sakura," Sasuke breathes.

Sakura digs her fingernails further into the table, creating harsh indents.

"Good morning class!" Iruka says loudly, jolting her out of her reverie.

"I'm sure you're all very excited to know your team allocations, but remember to remain quiet…"

Sakura takes a quick, hallowing breath as Iruka continues the rules. In front of her, Naruto looks as if he's breathing deeply, chest rising and falling. He's looking down at his arms, back hunched, and Sakura just wants to reach out and touch him and let him know that it's alright – it's all going to be alright no matter what Sasuke does-

Behind her the Uchiha is starkly silent – she can't even hear his breath. But his chakra is troubled and she can feel the dark pull of his stare, mutating and cruel.

"Team 1. Akida Noru, Sarui Dokaku, Chodu Ami. Team 2. Reena Karuri, Saede Tomu…"

Sakura wrenches her fingernails away from the table, interlocking her hands as she stares down at her palms, willing her heartbeat to steady. It's slamming against her ribcage so loud that she's sure the whole class can hear.

"…you alright Sakura-chan?" Hinata murmurs. "You seem on edge."

She is. She's on the edge of discovery, of rebirth. She's on the edge of _Team 7._

"I'm fine," Sakura says quietly, letting out a thin breath.

"Team 6. Eguchi Nobara, Miyamoto Kunihiko, Tsushima Yoshiko. Team 7. Uzumaki Naruto. Haruno Sakura. Uchiha Sasuke. Team 8. Hinata Hyuuga, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino…"

"So close," Hinata whispers, "We could have been together." But Sakura's mind is already elsewhere.

She feels calm, tranquil, as if she's transcended time into nirvana. Naruto swivels back in his chair and gives her a heart wrenching smile. Sakura grins back, heart fluttering like a butterfly. She turns back and Sasuke sits, lounging back on his chair with his face towards the sky, a smirk on his face.

Sakura smiles.

This is _Team 7_.

* * *

**Sasuke**

Iruka signals towards the door and a group of jounin instructors pour in, Kakashi absent as expected. They call out for their teams and around them the class begins to flow away.

"See you later mate," Shikamaru mutters.

"Have fun," Sasuke says softly quietly. _Before you can't anymore._

Shikamaru and Chouji grab their bags and leave him, dragging a reluctant Ino away. Soon the only people left are his team, along with a few others with late instructors. But they'll be gone soon.

Sasuke leans back, looking up at the ceiling. His heart is dancing a symphony just under his chest and for the first time he feels as light as a feather, as if he can just take to the sky and fly away and be free. There's no Madara, no Konoha, nothing except Team 7.

But… that was the old Team 7. This time, Naruto and Sakura aren't _his _Naruto and Sakura. They're just… imitations. Fakes. Puppets.

Then Sakura's face pops up in front of his.

"Hello Sasuke-san," she says meekly, holding out a hand. "I'm Sakura."

His eyes drop down to her hand, palm outstretched. It's not smooth like he had expected – instead, there are scars and her skin is rough from kunai grips. It looks strangely like his old Sakura and when he looks up her hair is all pulled back and he can almost see the same hairstyle obscured behind a field medic's signature white hat.

"Hello," he says, almost as if in a trance. His hand reaches out and grasps hers tightly. For a twelve-year-old girl she gives firm handshakes.

And then Naruto pops up next to her.

"Hey Uchiha," he says, in that unique way of his which manages to be both humiliating and degrading but full of warmth and love at the same time. "You know me right? I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Future Hokage and your number one rival! You know – number one – cause I'm pretty sure you've got heaps."

Sasuke can't help the smile which begins to curve up. The blonde has no idea how true those words will turn out to be.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he introduces, schooling his expression into that of a smirk. He grasps Naruto's hand firmly, giving it his strongest handshake. For a second the blonde's grin turns feral and his eyes glint.

Around them, the remaining genin have already disappeared.

"Well look at us," Naruto grins. "We're Team 7."

His eyes are glinting mischievously, smile crooked at one end, displaying his white teeth. Sakura throws her head back and laughs, happily, freely. And Sasuke can't help but smile too.

This is different from last time, Sasuke thinks, but maybe things are looking up.

"Wanna bet on how long it takes our instructor to get here?" Sakura grins, pulling out a few yen from her pocket.

Naruto raises his eyebrows. "You're into gambling Sakura? I mean- Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiles wistfully. "A very special person taught me how. Now you guys in?"

Naruto shrugs. "Sure. I'm betting two hours."

"Not for our first meeting," Sasuke says firmly. "One hour."

Sakura's grin turns devilish. "Forty-one minutes."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "That exact?"

"I'm very positive," Sakura grins.

"Damn," Naruto sighs, plopping down into the chair next to him. "Now you're making me doubt myself."

"As if you don't have enough ego already," Sasuke mutters.

Naruto snorts. "Says _you._"

"_Boys,_" Sakura sighs, and instinctively Sasuke leans back – that word had always been followed by a punch in his past life.

There's a moment of silence in which both he and Naruto eye Sakura warily, and she seems to twitch.

Then Sakura laughs awkwardly. "I mean just… don't start a fight guys."

"We've had enough of those," Naruto mutters quietly under his breath.

Sasuke takes a deep breath, scooting back in his chair. He's becoming weak. He'd slipped too easily back into the familiar banter of Team 7. It doesn't help that both his team mates are much more tolerable this time around, for some reason or the other, and he doesn't feel the need to bash both of their skulls in in Sakura's famous style.

"So…" Naruto says awkwardly in the ensuing silence. "How much longer do we have?"

"If I'm correct-" Sakura says, and they all know that she probably is, "-then we've got thirty-five more minutes left."

Sasuke swallows harshly, turning around so that he's facing the door instead of his two teammates. But then Sakura plops herself up onto his desk, invading his view.

"Hey Sasuke-kun – I can call you that right? – how were your holidays? You seem awfully close with Shikamaru-san."

"Hn," Sasuke grunts, resolutely trying to ignore his teammate. But Sakura has always been persistent.

"You know, Hinata's got a crush on Shikamaru."

"What?" Naruto squawks, pushing himself onto Sasuke's desk as well. "That's- she _does?"_

"Aren't you breaking some girl code…?" Sasuke says quietly.

"But – but – Hinata's too sweet for a lazy person like Shikamaru!"

Sakura rolls her eyes. "He's really smart Naruto – uh, Naruto-san."

"I _know. _I mean, he doesn't look it but I'm sure he is."

"He is," Sasuke says resolutely.

"Oh Sasuke-kun, you know everything!" Sakura simpers, but there's something dangerous underlying her tone, a faint patronising sarcasm. Sasuke narrows his eyes.

"Hey," Naruto says quickly, scooting over so that he's between Sakura and Sasuke. "Do you want to hear about my awesome graduation exam?"

"If we say no will you listen?" Sasuke sighs.

"Well it turns out Mizuki-sensei is not who he seems," Naruto begins, launching into his story. Sasuke sighs and leans back – he's heard this same story enough times already. Really. And he was there to witness most of it anyway, so it's not as if there isn't something he doesn't know.

Sakura seems to be doing her best to be polite, nodding at the appropriate intervals, but even she seems to be tired of this story already. Sasuke settles back into his chair and closes his eyes. Sleep has always been a good escape for him.

"…and then, well, you know. I may have overestimated by powers a bit cause he screamed heaps and the ninja all came-"

"What?" Sakura says in surprise. "The ninja came? But last time-"

Sasuke's snap open, eyeing Sakura carefully.

"Last time what?"

Sakura flushes but it disappears almost immediately. "Nothing," she says casually. "Go on Naruto-kun?"

Naruto is staring at her carefully too but he continues nonetheless. "Um, well, Iruka-sensei gave me his headband and said that since I could do the kage bunshin, it was a form of clone jutsu so I passed!"

"That's wonderful!" Sakura says enthusiastically, but she looks a bit shaky. Sasuke narrows his eyes, observing his two teammates carefully.

"Yeah," Naruto responds just as enthusiastically, but there's something different about the blonde. He's lacking that stupidity that annoyed Sasuke so much last time around and his eyes seem keener, sharper. Always observing, taking in everything like a sponge.

Sasuke shakes his head. Maybe the blonde was always like this but he just hadn't noticed. After all, last time around at this age he _was_ slightly pathetic. Especially compared to geniuses like Itachi, Neji or even Shikamaru. Sure, he was a better fighter, but the Nara's smarts are something he should strive to achieve. Their team used to succeed on their ingenuity – Sakura's carefully laid plans mixed with Naruto's spontaneity meant that he was often left picking up the pieces and putting them back together. Not that they'd have it any other way.

But that was back then.

"What did you do yesterday Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asks politely. "Hinata mentioned that the Nara were having a small celebration for Shikamaru's success. Did you attend?"

Sakura seems really diplomatic. Had she always been so careful and formal with her words? She reminds him a bit of the politicians, always careful with their words and polite – false as well, most of the time.

"No, I didn't. I was otherwise… preoccupied."

"Big words you guys are using," Naruto says carefully. Sasuke's eyes slide over to the blonde. So he had noticed too – Naruto seems to be much more perceptive this time around.

There's a moment of strained silence before Sakura blurts out – "Sensei's coming!"

Sasuke furrows his eyebrows. He can't sense anything. And judging by Naruto's befuddled expression, the blonde hasn't either.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asks.

"I mean- yeah," Sakura says quickly. "It's just I've got a knack for sensing stuff like that."

A… knack. Sure, it wasn't Sasuke's forte but he's pretty good – definitely better than an Academy kid at least, especially with his future knowledge. But Sakura is still… better.

"I'd say that it's more than a knack," Sasuke says quietly. That's when Kakashi's chakra signature filters into his range. A few seconds later, he sees realisation dawn on Naruto's face too.

"You're good," he says cautiously to Sakura. "Have you considered options relating to chakra control like… medical ninjutsu?"

Sakura eyes him quizzically. "How do you know about medical ninjutsu? The Uchiha don't have any scrolls on- I mean, I've never heard of an Uchiha medic nin."

Sasuke sighs. He's just trying to steer her onto the path of success but she's making it much more difficult. Except… she makes a valid point. There haven't been any Uchiha medic nin – in their past life Sakura had dragged him and Naruto to the Uchiha compound to see if she could scavenge any medical jutsu which might be hidden in their archives – and there'd been none.

"Well," Naruto says, glancing up at the clock, "That was only thirty five minutes late – or sixteen minutes since we started the bet. We're all wrong."

Sakura frowns, brow furrowed. His teammate had always hated being wrong.

A few moments later Kakashi's chakra signature enters the Academy building.

"I've got an idea!" Naruto says quickly.

"It's not going to work," Sasuke says out of obligation.

But Naruto just grins. "I know it will."

"Do you want to start with a bad first impression?"

"How do you know it's going to be a bad impression?" Naruto counters.

Sasuke scowls.

"Aw," Naruto coos. "Come on. Just let me do it. For memory's sake."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. So there was a reason for Naruto's pointless pranks – who knew there were actually memories attached to them? Actually, now that he thinks about it, had the blonde's mother been a prankster?

Sasuke sighs. "Do what you want."

Naruto grins and bounds over and places an eraser on top of the door.

"I… can't believe this is happening," Sasuke sighs.

"I know right," Sakura groans.

Naruto scoots back to his seat just as Kakashi opens the door. The eraser falls and hits him right on the head.

Kakashi eyes the three genin blankly before saying – "My first impression is… I hate you."

"Told you," Sasuke mutters, but Naruto's grin never falters.

"This is perfect," Naruto says.

"And to think I had high hopes for this team," Sakura sighs.

Kakashi eyes the three of them lazily.

"When you're done… bickering… meet me up at the rooftop."

"Idiots," Sakura grumbles. "The both of you."

She stalks over to the door, holding it open before eyeing the two. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Sasuke sighs, pushing his chair back and sauntering over to her. Naruto pops off his desk and follows him through the door.

"Thanks Sakura," Naruto says.

Sakura just rolls her eyes. "The two of you. Always so slow and irresponsible. It's a wonder you guys were ever- ever passed."

"Psshh," Naruto says, waving a hand in the air. "I was basically first."

"I'm pretty sure you were quite far off," Sasuke says flatly.

"Just let him delude himself," Sakura says, ignoring Naruto's pleading look.

"The two of you. Seriously. Have not gotten any better," Naruto mumbles under his breath.

"Pff," Sakura says. "As if _you_ have. Did you even notice anything different about me today?"

Naruto looks up. "Your hair Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Took you long enough."

Naruto gives him a flat stare, pushing open the door to the rooftop. Kakashi stands there lounging, waiting for his three students. His gaze flickers to Naruto first – his resemblance to his parents is uncanny, now that Sasuke knows – and then to him. Kakashi's visible eye narrows almost indiscernibly. His sensei is evaluating but there's a tiny sense of dislike intermingled in there as well. Ever since Obito he knows his sensei has had a dislike for the Uchiha archetype – silent, broody, dangerous. However his gaze simply skims over Sakura.

_Mistake_, Sasuke wants to tell him, _that girl is going to be terrifying._

But he doesn't.

"Well then," Kakashi says, falsely cheerful. "My name is Hatake Kakashi and I will be your jounin instructor. Let's start with a bit about yourselves – name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, your dream for the future… I'll start."

"That's okay," Sakura says quickly. "We don't need to hear."

Sasuke shoots her a look. She definitely hadn't been this confident or forward previously – at least, not until Tsunade had gotten her claws into her. Her strange belief in herself in starkly contrasted against her appearance. This Sakura seems to be growing into his old one, except it looks completely out of place amongst pink and impractical fashion choices.

Kakashi seems like-mindedly surprised. But then again, he probably didn't even read the file he was given on Sakura. After all, his teacher hadn't known about her chakra control until the tree-climbing exercise in Wave, and even after that had never harnessed her obvious potential. Not to mention how useless he was in harnessing Naruto's potential - he had left the blonde to _Ebizu _of all people - a theory type ninja, when _everyone _knew Naruto was anything but.

_This is Konoha's weakness_, he thinks with disgust.

"Sasuke," Kakashi says sharply, watching his expression carefully, "Why don't you start?"

Sasuke matches his sensei's stare head on.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like…" he pauses. What can he say? What _has _he to say? What… what does he like? His life has been so hectic that he's never really had time for… _liking. _But… he has. He has liked things – people – like his family, like his old teammates.

Except they're all dead.

Kakashi is watching him carefully in his silence. Sakura has this forlorn, sad look on her face. Naruto is watching him as if he understands.

"Tomatoes?" the blonde finally offers.

Sasuke suppresses the automatic gag reflex. "_No," _he hisses.

Sakura and Naruto both wear identical expressions of surprise but it's true. Tomatoes remind him too much of his past life – memories which aren't pleasant. Memories which involve too much of his dead team mates.

"Are… are you sure?" Sakura asks tentatively.

"_Yes_," he snaps. "I'm sure. I don't have any hobbies. There. I'm finished."

Kakashi is now watching his team with much greater interest than previously. Fun-fucking-tastic. Now he's drawn more attention to himself. His sensei opens his mouth, about to ask him to finish his likes, dislikes and dreams for the future but Sasuke shoots him a glare. Relenting, he turns to Naruto instead.

"What about you Naruto?" Kakashi asks.

"The name's Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage," Naruto grins.

"Mhm," Kakashi murmurs non-committedly.

"Trust me," Naruto says, strangely calm. "It's going to happen. My likes are ramen, Konoha, and _hopefully, _my team mates. My dislikes are people who betray others in whatever way. My hobbies are eating ramen and spending time with people I love. My dream for the future is to become the Hokage and to live in a world where there is peace."

Sakura smiles softly at this.

"Wonderful," Kakashi says, in that way that is polite but not really meaningful. "And you Sakura?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura," she says sweetly. Sasuke turns around and stares – she seems to be going for the cute and innocent suck-up-to-teacher angle. But the Sakura he knew – _why is she even going for an angle?_

"I like dumplings, my friend Hinata-chan, and people who _help _instead of _destroy. _I dislike people who incite trouble after trouble has just finished. My hobbies are reading and my dream for the future… one in which all five shinobi countries are allied."

Sasuke frowns. That was basically the same as Naruto's, except while he had wanted peace she had simply stated alliances - had Sakura always been so political?

Kakashi nods absentmindedly, probably not even listening to the last member of his team. While Sasuke himself had received specialised training, he does acknowledge that Kakashi was a bad instructor in terms of developing their team as a whole. Disappointing, considering how great their Team could've been – would've been if they'd not all _died._

"Well then," Kakashi says. "I'll meet you all tomorrow at Training Ground 3. Six in the morning."

"So like ten o'clock," Naruto mumbles. Sasuke shoots him a look.

"I mean," he stammers, "Hinata told me that he's always late."

"And don't eat breakfast," Kakashi adds. "Goodbye!"

Then he shunshin's away, leaving Team 7 in his smoke.

"…tch." Sasuke grunts, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking away. He doesn't want to slip up anymore around Team 7. He had been so invested into keeping his mask up and remaining distant except being around them had been a _familiarity _he hasn't experienced for twelve years. It was almost as if his teammates were magnetic, pulling him towards them, calling him into their familiar cocoon of _everything is going to be alright Sasuke after all we're the powerhouse team the best team, the team of Uzumaki Naruto, Nanadaime Hokage and jinchuuriki of Kurama, of Haruno Sakura, Root Commander and Head of Konoha hospital, and of Uchiha Sasuke, Head of ANBU and T&amp;I, the last Uchiha, the Avenger-_

_Team 7._

* * *

**Naruto**

"You know," Sakura says quietly as Sasuke leaves, "Senju Tobirame, the Second Hokage, once said that the Will of Fire and the Curse of Hatred of the Uchiha are bound to clash. You told me in your story that Iruka-sensei told you that – he said that you embody the Will of Fire."

"I hope I do – it would be a good trait for a future Hokage." Naruto says wistfully. "But they also say that the Uchiha have great capacity for love and friendship. In fact, it is the loss of such love and friendship which easily turns their strong emotions to hate."

"Do you…" Sakura says softly, "Do you think Sasuke has inherited the Curse of Hatred?"

"Sasuke has suffered much, that's true," Naruto says slowly.

"Is that a yes?"

Naruto quirks a small smile. "I wouldn't know. You'd have to ask him."

"I would," Sakura agrees before her eyes turn down in worry. "But… they say that the Will of Fire and the Curse of Hatred – one day, they will fight to the death."

"Oh Sakura," Naruto chuckles softly. "They already have."

"_I know_," she says heavily, "and I have never felt more usel- connected, that is. To Konoha's history. You know what I mean. Hashirama and Madara really did go at it didn't they?"

"Yeah. They did. That was the battle of the Valley of the End right?"

Sakura clears her throat awkwardly. "Yeah. And to think that they were the best of friends before."

Naruto sighs. "The bestest."

"Well," Sakura says abruptly, "I'll be going now."

"Alright," Naruto says. "Stay safe."

Sakura stills before turning around and marching up to him.

"No," she says with a small smile, "_Have fun."_

Naruto's eyes widen as Sakura turns around and walks away.

_Have fun._

"And don't do anything stupid!" she calls back. "You're better than that!"

Naruto looks down at his hands.

_Have fun._

Then – _don't do anything stupid._

How _Sakura._

But also – _you're better than that._

He thinks back to last time, when he had henge'd into Sasuke to try to get a kiss from Sakura before a bout of bad milk had come back to haunt him.

_You're better than that._

He… really needed to hear that.

And Sasuke probably does too.

Naruto turns around and chases after his other team mate. He had originally planned on working on his mother's chakra chains this afternoon, continuing the work he had started this morning, but now he just wants to find Sasuke-

He collapses, his body dropping down onto the ground. But his mind – his mind is being pulled in and _in, into itself and beyond-_

**My jailor.**

Naruto's eyes snap open. The chains which he had used to hold Kurama after this morning's training are lying down on the dungeon floor. Kurama has his paws pressed against the bars, his face contorted with evil.

**Did you really think such chains could hold me? You have a long way to go before they're anywhere as near as strong as your mother's. Such techniques will never work when performed by amateurs like you. You were just lucky that you were smart enough not to rip the seal completely off. Otherwise you would be in pieces now boy, and so would your beloved village.**

Naruto sighs. "Hello Kurama," he says softly.

Kurama narrows his eyes.

**You have no right to address me by my name-**

"What do you want?" Naruto cuts in. "Why did you pull me here?"

Kurama pauses.

**I… am curious.**

Naruto raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Curious?"

**This morning,** Kurama says slowly,** when you loosened the seal slightly, I felt a chakra residue on you.**

Naruto furrows his brow. "A chakra residue?"

**Yes. Hints of chakra from a previous technique. A very strong previous technique. And it was… mine.**

"…yours," Naruto says softly. "Is that why this conversation is happening civilly?"

Kurama growls.

**Tell me. Was it my yin half?**

Naruto smiles sadly. "No. It wasn't."

**What was it then? **Kurama fumes quietly.

Naruto pauses.

"Would you believe me if I said time travel?"

Kurama roars, slamming into the bars of his cell.

Naruto sighs. "I thought not."

How can he get the fox to believe him? They aren't on the most amicable of terms now - far from - and he knows that the fox will take anything he says as a lie, as a manipulation. Not that he can blame Kurama, considering the humans he'd been exposed to previously - humans like Madara.

Kurama growls again, pressing his face against the bars.

**Don't stay silent you- you just want to torment me you evil evil evil humans. You let me out you damned little brat tell me – what was it then? What was me-**

Naruto takes a deep breath, reaching deep for his chakra before shooting them out in chains.

**-these can't hold me you stupid boy I'm coming for you I'm coming for you how **_**dare **_**you do this-**

The chains clamp down on the beast and bring him to a heel.

Naruto walks calmly over to the bars of the cell and peers inside.

"Kurama. Listen to me. I know your name. You felt your own chakra residue – your own, not your yin half. Think about how that may be possible – _think – _and then maybe we can talk. Maybe we can compromise and I can start using these chains for actual battle purposes instead of holding you down."

**-as if I could ever compromise with a boy like you – off to go visit the **_**Uchiha-**_

"Also think," Naruto says quietly, "About how I know things that I haven't been taught. Things about you, things about chakra. We have a common goal, Kurama. Perhaps once you come to realise that we can talk."

**A common goal, **Kurama scoffs, **you're just like that manipulative bastard-**

"Uchiha Madara?" Naruto says quietly.

Kurama silences.

**You know his name, **he finally says flatly.

"You and I, we have a common goal," Naruto says quietly. "Think about what I have told you. And do not pull me in again. Dangerous times are coming. If you do, I will have to reseal you to the strongest extent."

**You would not do that, **Kurama says quietly, **you need my chakra.**

"I have sacrificed many things," Naruto says softly. "Your chakra would not be a loss."

**That's what you say. But you and I both know – without my chakra you are nothing. You are still a weak, weak boy.**

Naruto clenches his fists and the chains come down harder. Kurama hisses but is silent.

"Goodbye Kurama," Naruto says. "Do not call me again."

**You're a smart boy, **Kurama says, **just like your father.**

The jail begins to fade away, gradually bringing Naruto back to the present but Kurama's voice still echoes in his head – _just like your father._

Namikaze Minato.

When he was twelve years old last time around he knew next to nothing about his parents – they were mystical, illusionary, unreachable silhouettes in the darks of his mind. But now that he knows… perhaps it's time to take after one of the strongest shinobi in history.

Konoha's _Yellow Flash._

* * *

**AN: **Kurama's first appearance! So yeah, things are about to get moving. Next chapter will be... THE BELL TEST! I'm really excited about it, considering what I have planned :)

Lots of thanks to reviewers **Callian3, sauskaepanda, Lonely Athena, KRIOSdaBOSS, Zoleth, Guest, Broken Reveries, sagar, Please send me messages **and **Shinen no Hikari **xx

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and best wishes for the new year!


	10. Team 7 - II

**AN: HAPPY 2015! **I know it's a bit late, but here's a chapter! I've been a bit busy lately with the new year and everything and haven't had much time to write. I actually had most of the chapter done in 2014 but just never got the chance to finish it. But it's done and dusted now, so I hope you'll all enjoy the fated bell test! I changed it a bit so it's kinda different, but hopefully you'll all like it :)

* * *

**_Team 7 - II_**

* * *

**Sakura**

Sakura fiddles with her nails, dutifully chipping away the pink nail polish that Hinata had so painstakingly painted the night before. The two had had a carefree sleepover last night in celebration of their graduation – not that it was any surprise considering the training they'd both received in preparation of it.

It had been good. Familiar. But her interactions with Team 7 – that had been dangerous territory.

It was a flaw of Team 7 that all three were so emotional. Naruto could distance himself when needed – be the mature leader the village needed rather than their jokester friend. Sasuke was a ruthless Head of ANBU and his sharingan had allowed him to dabble into T&amp;I as well, becoming the joint head along with Morino Ibiki. As for her, she was Root Commander, the unfazed Head of Konoha Hospital.

Except when they were around each other their tenuous hold on their emotions would just collapse. They'd break down into banter, familiar, friendly, comforting territory. There was always that companionship of knowing that everyone around you understands you, has been through the same things that you yourself have gone through.

Together Team 7 is volatile. Separate they are emotionless. Team 7 is a hurricane and she'd allowed herself to be sucked right back into the eye. All the time she had spent trying to distance herself from her teammates had completely backfired because now – she can't even _think _around them. She's so scared of slipping up, of revealing things she shouldn't – and she _did._

She had dropped her persona – had become that strong, confident Sakura of a lifetime ago. And she _must _mend that. She had tried to readopt her sweet, innocent façade but it had been grasping at straws.

Which means that her persona has to come back full force today.

Sakura sighs, looking up at the sky above Training Ground 3. The sunrise has just begun and the illuminating colours of pink and blue splay across a green hill – green which had been splattered with the blood of countless ninja a lifetime ago.

She sighs, dropping down onto the grass and lying down. It's a requirement of her persona to be completely devoted to the rules so she'd arrived at six on the dot. She had been tired but she'd gone through worse – it's the actual human aspect of Team 7 that she's worried about.

Except… maybe this isn't so bad. She's beginning to understand why Shikamaru likes to look up at the clouds so much. He'd always been a smart child, she knows that, and perhaps that was why he understood the horrors of being a ninja earlier than all of them. And that was why he always looked to the clouds for comfort – they were whimsical, a far-reaching land of dreams where everything was just as it should be.

Sakura sighs again, sitting up. At least now with her future knowledge she hadn't skipped breakfast. And as a medic nin always knows – breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Except… she's bored. It's been awhile since she's had hours to herself, free to do whatever she wanted. Naruto seems to know how late their sensei will be, considering Hinata told him. Sasuke is nowhere near the vicinity and Kakashi won't turn up until at least nine o'clock so she's got some time.

Sakura stands up, surveying the training ground thoughtfully. She can practice her technique – the Yin Healing Wound Destruction – but it will take up a lot of chakra. But then again, if she's going to continue with her persona of being weak, she won't really need her chakra. Her Seal of a Hundred is going well as well, so she _does _have that as a backup if things are going bad. But she really doesn't want to drain it – the events of the massacre had taken her a year to repair.

She pauses, readjusting her headband. Her Seal should be covered properly but she'll have to be careful – if someone knocks it off she'll have to do a lightning quick genjutsu. And if Kakashi-sensei sees that there'll be a lot to explain.

Sakura draws a kunai from her pouch, quickly making sure that there's no one around. Her hands glow with medical healing chakra at the ready, a bright green glow. First she'll have to learn how to direct her chakra away from her hands to other parts of her body and then somehow diminish the green glow so that its presence is unnoticeable.

She purses her lips. Perhaps she should cheat and fasten her training. She probably won't use any chakra today anyway if she's keeping the weak stereotype.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu," she whispers. Two other clones appear beside her, hands glowing with medical chakra. Her chakra stores have always allowed for only two kage bunshin, sometimes three if she's lucky, while Sasuke can usually manage five, sometimes more. Only Naruto has ever mastered the technique to its full potential.

Her two clones plop down next to her and begin the task of drawing her chakra away from her hands to her stomach. In her past life she had never needed this technique – Sasuke and Naruto were such front hitters that she always just used to trail behind them and heal everyone. She'd never needed to direct it anywhere _but _her hands.

Except maybe this time she can be more active. A field medic, one which can be just as powerful as her two team mates. Sure, chidori and rasengan look amazing but she can move mountains. A tiny touch of her chakra scalpels cuts and cuts _deep._

She grits her teeth, willing her chakra to stable. The chakra pathways away from the hands are smaller and fewer meaning that if she stuffs up she can burst her whole system. It has to be measured.

Gradually her two clones dissipate. The process is quite a bit easier now but still painstakingly slow. The whole premise of Kabuto's technique had been anticipating enemy techniques and getting the chakra there _fast. _There's no point coating an area in medical chakra _after _the attack – it'd be much faster to just use her hands.

Sakura flexes her wrists. _Small steps first. _

She directs her healing chakra away from her left hand to her wrist. Once it's stably resting there she grabs a kunai and stabs herself, digging the kunai around thoroughly before wrenching it out.

Automatically blood begins to poor out but then her skin begins to gradually knit itself together, peeling the flesh towards each other and smothering the blood before her wrist becomes unblemished. And it had all happened without her needing to actively think about it.

Sakura stills.

That was _amazing. _

If she can harness this technique to a level in which she can proficiently dispel it anywhere and then have her wounds heal without even having to _think _about it-

"Sakura. What are you doing?"

Sakura spins around, quickly slipping her kunai back into her pouch.

"Sasuke," she says breathlessly. He had snuck up on her – or had she been concentrating so much he hadn't noticed him?

"I was, uh, thinking. You know, about stuff."

He quirks an eyebrow.

"What-whatever. You're late you know."

Sasuke smirks. "By two hours. Yeah. But he's not going to turn up soon anyway."

"You believe Naruto?" Sakura asks in surprise.

"I believe Shikamaru."

"Right," Sakura clears her throat awkwardly. Originally her persona had been to heavily crush on Sasuke like last time. Except with all the history between them, even if he doesn't know about it, she doesn't think she can ever really bring herself to do it convincingly. Plus, with all the Uchiha hate the Hyuuga had fed her it would've been weird if she continued to like him.

Except that means she isn't sure how to treat him now. Is he a friend? An enemy? A classmate?

"Congratulations on coming first in graduation," Sakura ventures to say.

Sasuke grunts.

_Well…_

_It's going to be a long wait._

Sakura glances up at the sun, willing it to rise faster. If Naruto and Sasuke have talked to Hinata and Shikamaru respectively about Kakashi then they should have eaten breakfast too. Which is good. Her team is staying healthy.

Awkwardly she fiddles with her kunai. She wants to train but will Sasuke detect her chakra? He's always been good but sensing was never his forte. If he does notice though what will he think? Will he even care?

Experimentally, she brings forth a tiny bit of chakra to her fingertips.

Sasuke glances over at her and she muffles the chakra spark.

Dangit.

"What was that?"

Sakura resists the urge to roll her eyes. So _now _he talks.

"Huh?" she says innocently, eyes wide.

He scowls. "Nothing."

Sighing, she closes her eyes and reaches out with her chakra, searching for Naruto's chakra signature or at least Kakashi's. But there's nothing. Both are taking a jolly good time.

She begins to kick a pebble on the ground, thinking to the upcoming fight. It should go as planned considering Sasuke and Naruto are the same as they were last time around. All _she _has to do is control herself. After being off the field for such a long time there may be many trigger factors which cause her to go berserk, but if she simply stays away from the fighting as usual she should be able to avoid them all.

She had observed such reactions on many ninja who wanted to re-enter the field after years of idleness. While their physical prowess was regained in time with no problem, the memories of war posted a psychological problem – whenever there was a 'trigger', the mind would sometimes shut down, causing them to enter one of two states.

The first was a catatonic one. When the mind had been too weak to process the horrors of war these triggers would indicate to the mind that the person was back in such an environment and they would shut down, being unable to function.

The second was one of a mindless killer. This was something all of Team 7 fell into – when a 'trigger' appeared which reminded them of war the body would switch to autopilot survival mode and go on a rampage of sorts, destroying anything and everything.

But her persona is the useless persona. The weak persona. The one who won't partake in any of the drama and the bloodlust. The one who _can't. _The one who can't stomach the sight of blood, who doesn't understand Sasuke's past or her team mates' pains in losing a family, or never having one at all.

She is the sweet, innocent, naïve, civilian girl who chose a career she didn't understand.

So. As per persona, she will _not _engage in combat. She will _not _do anything different from last time. She will continue to be useless – even if she hates it – because it will keep the past as it is, as it _should be. _This is not an important battle, one which she needs to interfere in. And she won't – unless there's a trigger.

But _there will be no trigger. _

She will _not fight. _

And all will be as it should.

* * *

**Sasuke**

He's figured out a way to keep his persona.

It's called _shut his trap._

If he just doesn't speak it'll go along with his persona, as well as not give anything away. And no one will think anything else of it – after all, he's only ever really talked to Shikamaru and Chouji. They'll just think he's shy or some shit like that.

Next to him Sakura looks up. A second later Naruto appears in the distance, orange jumpsuit blaringly obvious against the green pastures.

"Looks like our third member is here!" Sakura says happily, looking extremely relieved.

He grunts. The dobe is even later than him – it's probably a good 9:30 now.

"Hey guys!" Naruto shouts, arm waving obnoxiously.

"Good morning Naruto," Sakura grins.

"Morning," Sasuke says curtly. The blonde looks happy and rosy – it looks like he chose to eat breakfast as well. Only Sakura turned up on time it seems, and without any breakfast as well. Following Kakashi's instructions to the dot – how very twelve-year-old Sakura. Except it _is _strange that Hinata would tip off Naruto and not Sakura. Speaking of which, how would Hinata know anyway? Shikamaru obviously didn't, not that any of his two team mates picked up on his lie.

He glances up at the treetops – Kakashi's chakra signature is coming in. Earlier than last time, funnily enough.

"He's early," Sakura murmurs.

Naruto snorts. "You call this early?"

Sakura frowns. "As if _you _can talk. And I just meant earlier than I expected."

Kakashi drops down from the treetops.

"Hello children!"

There's silence.

"You're late," Sasuke says, out of obligation.

"Well you see – there was this-"

"That's okay sensei," Naruto says quickly. "We don't need to know."

"Don't interrupt when sensei is talking!" Sakura scolds immediately.

Kakashi's one eye rises up in a smile. "I knew I liked you."

He turns around and places three bento boxes on the rock. "Now. I assume that all of you have skipped breakfast, as per my instruction. Now. What's going to happen today is a test."

"A test?" Naruto asks, eyes wide.

"A graduation test," Kakashi confirms.

"But- but we just passed," Sakura says, eyebrows knotting in confusion.

"That was only the first step. This test – _my _test – is one which determines whether or not you're all fit to be genin."

Sasuke resists the urge to snort. He's fit to be kage – all three of them are – in the future, at least.

"Now, let me just warn you – _no one has ever passed my test."_

Naruto and Sakura squeak in horror. Sasuke frowns.

"Now," Kakashi says, displaying the two bells on his belt. "The objective is to get a bell. Whoever gets one, passes."

"But there're only two," Sakura says quietly.

"Exactly," Kakashi says. "Only two will pass. The one who doesn't will go back to the Academy. You have two hours."

Immediately his eyes slide to Naruto, as if expecting the blonde to be the one that fails. If Sasuke were to bet, he'd pick him too. At this age even Sakura could surpass him.

"…no questions?" Kakashi says, mildly surprised.

"No sensei," Sakura says meekly. Naruto has a strange glint in his eyes, his fists clenching and unclenching.

"Well then," Kakashi shrugs, "Begin."

Immediately Sakura retreats to the bush, probably to stand around and do nothing as usual. Sasuke pauses before following her into the forest while Naruto still stands in the middle, seemingly unsure of what to do.

In the meantime, their sensei pulls out his Icha Icha and begins to read.

"That is so inappropriate," he hears Sakura mutter.

He frowns – how does Sakura, at this age, know about such books?

Naruto finally seems to make a decision and jumps back into the foliage. That's… different. Sasuke purses his lips. His plan had been to pretty much to the same as last time – be good enough to impress Kakashi but not good enough to actually get a bell. Except Naruto's gone with a different strategy this time around so he won't be able to utilise the same opportunity of the sneak attack. He can probably give Kakashi a good run for his money at this stage, but he has to limit his power to that expected of a twelve-year-old. That way no one will suspect anything.

Naruto and Sakura both seem content to sit and just do nothing so he supposes it's up to him.

He circles up the treetops until he's as close as he can be to his sensei while still staying hidden. Not that it matters much probably considering how he's not even making an effort to hide his chakra – his sensei will have sensed him in an instant, though this _is _what his twelve-year-old self had done last time.

He readies some kunai and shuriken before his hands whirl through seals.

"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu."

He blows his giant fireball just as he throws his weapons on either side. This way his sensei is trapped – he can't escape the fireball or the path of his kunai. His only options are to extinguish the fireball or to go underground.

When the smoke clears from his technique his sensei is nowhere to be seen. However a quick search with his chakra confirms Kakashi's position underground.

Sasuke resists the urge to wince. While it makes sense that his sensei didn't extinguish the fireball –maintaining his façade as calm and unruffled – he had been hoping nonetheless. He's always hated that technique – _Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu _– burrowing into the ground like a mole.

The earth release technique has been used by the likes of Deidara, Kabuto, Madara, Obito and Orochimaru. It's never had good connotations and has become a sort of bad omen for Team 7 – every time this technique is used something bad arises from it.

Naruto however seems to be taking this opportunity to attack. He's making his way silently onto the training ground – not that it will make much difference as Kakashi will be able to sense his footsteps through vibrations in the ground. Naruto pauses a few steps away from where Kakashi is buried underneath. Slowly, the blonde reaches into his kunai pouch for a kunai and waits.

This time Sasuke can't stop the wince as Kakashi's chakra signature moves so that it stands directly under the blonde. This jutsu has been a source of nightmares for all members of Team 7 – faces of Kabuto, Orochimaru, Madara, appearing suddenly in front of them, grabbing them by the ankles and pulling them down _down down-_

Sasuke shakes his head frantically, ridding himself of such thoughts. Those had been dark times for their team, ones that not even their innocent Sakura escaped. This technique was perfected by those who morphed it, those whom not even Sakura could sense.

Everybody they trained with in the future knew not to use it against Team 7 – if they did, they would almost be certainly sent straight to the hospital.

It was always a sudden terror – their opposition was always so good that not even Sakura would be able to detect them. It was a hand combing up and grabbing you, or Orochimaru's face stretching up up up – or Kabuto's snake, swirling up your leg and choking you – or that bastard Madara-

_Kami _it was _nightmare worthy _stuff that jutsu. He'll gladly let Naruto take care of this before he jumps back in. The blonde won't be as traumatised as he – at this age he has no antagonistic memories associated with the jutsu.

Sasuke is almost tempted to look away when Kakashi shoots up. It's his sensei's familiar face but all he can see is Madara's face, but then it morphs into Orochimaru's, and Kabuto's and Deidara's and it's laughing and it's _disgusting and horrifying-_

Sasuke tears his eyes away from Kakashi to Naruto , to steady himself, but there's _something wrong with the blonde's eyes. _

Kakashi has his hand on Naruto's ankle, ready to pull him down in that same way he pulled down Sasuke a lifetime ago. But there's something inside Naruto's eyes. Something _feral. _

And then it disappears. _All _of it disappears. Naruto's eyes are _blank, empty, _as if he's running on _autopilot. _

In a flash Naruto wrenches his leg away, faster and stronger than Sasuke had ever suspected. Kakashi looks up in surprise but Naruto reaches down and grabs their sensei.

"Naruto-" Kakashi says in surprise but then the blonde wrenches him out of the ground and slams him down.

"Naruto-" Kakashi repeats, pushing himself up off the floor. Naruto growls and grabs his kunai, slamming it down in a yellow flash. Kakashi rolls to the side, barely missing the kunai as it cracks the earth underneath.

"Snap out of it," Kakashi hisses, but Naruto still looks _empty. _

And then Sasuke senses chakra building up inside his teammate. Kakashi has his hands ready, poised in a stance ready to attack or defend, but he _doesn't know what Naruto is capable of._

There's more and more chakra building up in his team mate and Sasuke is confused as _fuck _because _what is happening-_

Chakra chains shoot out from the blonde, dark, _black, _and _fast. _But Kakashi just stands there, as if he thinks he can defend himself but he _can't _because he doesn't understand Naruto_ doesn't he know he can't escape why is he just standing there doing nothing-!_

Sasuke wrenches forward and tackles the blonde down the same time Sakura pushes their sensei to the side.

"What the _fuck-" _Naruto spits but then Sasuke grabs his arms and pins them down.

"_Naruto," _he hisses, locking eyes with the blonde.

But then he feels the ominous _hate _of orange chakra.

"_Naruto," _he repeats steadily. "Listen to me. My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Your name is Uzumaki Naruto. Over there is Haruno Sakura."

It's the same words that Team 7 had decided to use whenever one of them lost their tenuous grip on reality. He doesn't know if it will work this time but it seems to calm the blonde down marginally, the kyuubi chakra seeping away.

Behind them, Kakashi is cursing.

Finally, Naruto's eyes seem to return to normal.

"Sasuke," he says quietly.

Sasuke grunts and releases the blonde, scrambling to his feet. He turns around to check Kakashi and-

_Sakura!_

Naruto seems to have the same realisation and a look of despair and guilt crosses over his face. The two boys scramble over to where Kakashi is helping Sakura up.

As they arrive their sensei's gaze lands on Naruto, eyes heavily guarded. Next to him, Sakura looks seemingly fine.

"Sakura," Naruto says brokenly. "A-are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Sakura says quickly, dusting herself off.

"No," Kakashi says, shaking his head. "The attack hit you. I'm sure of it. _I_ _saw it happen."_

"No," Sakura says gently, as if talking to a child. "Look." She lifts up her shirt, revealing unblemished smooth skin.

Kakashi furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "But-"

"You saw wrong," Sakura says firmly.

Kakashi seems to relent, turning to the two boys instead.

"The two of you?"

"Fine," Sasuke grunts.

"Yeah," Naruto echoes quietly.

Kakashi pauses, looking at the two of them. Finally, he turns to face all three.

"Sakura, Sasuke, you are dismissed. Go home, the two of you. Take your bento boxes. I'll meet you tomorrow at eight and we'll discuss whether or not you will be moving forward." He turns to Naruto, placing a hand on his arm like a clamp. "You can come with me. We're going to see the Hokage."

Sasuke frowns as Sakura whimpers, scampering over to where the bento boxes lie.

"Oh," Kakashi adds. "Sakura, Sasuke, don't mention what happened today to anyone. Or else I can guarantee that _no one _is passing."

Sakura swallows harshly at the threat but Sasuke just narrows his eyes. What are they going to do to Naruto? It's about him releasing his kyuubi chakra, no doubt. But there's no Team 7 if there's no Naruto.

"Go on then," Kakashi says, shooing the two of them away. Next to him, Naruto looks down at the ground, still looking incredibly guilty.

Sasuke turns around, mind whirling. This hadn't happened last time – so what had changed? Danzou isn't here anymore and who knows what's happening with Root. Had Danzou been placing restrictions on Naruto's chakra last time around? Knowing the elder it was likely - maybe that's why Naruto snapped - but at least now that he's gone hopefully Naruto's punishment will be light. Shikaku sympathises with Naruto, he knows that at least.

There's nothing he can do, and the thought doesn't lie well in his heart.

In front of him, Sakura tightens her grip on the bento box as she stares at Kakashi and Naruto's retreating back.

* * *

**Naruto**

Naruto winces.

The civilians know something is wrong – they're staring, all of them, as Kakashi leads him through Konoha Markets towards the Hokage tower, his hand like an unweilding snake bite on his arm.

Kurama's words ring loud in his head – _you are still a weak, weak boy. _

He had kept a vice grip on the chakra chains inside him – his mind had always been strong and this time had not been - should not have been - different. He is used to suppressing entities like Yami Naruto and keeping the chains strong had been no problem. Except that the fight had triggered something within him – something which took him back to the bloody battlefields of the Shinobi World War.

It was that damned technique – a low C-rank, sure, but _everyone _back then had known not to use it in front of their Hokage or his teammates. It brought back bad memories, memories of the _evillest _people and the _evillest _times. Kakashi-sensei had used it on him and-

He'd _snapped._

Sasuke had managed to bring him back to reality luckily – he wasn't sure what the Uchiha had said but his teammates had always had a great way of bringing him out of such trances. The war had left everyone traumatised and Team 7 had been their own coping strategy – it seems that old habits do die hard.

But he _was _extremely lucky that no one had gotten hurt. Kakashi might have been able to handle his attack but Sakura certainly _couldn't _– at least, not at this age. When he'd seen his teammate push Kakashi out of the way it was like someone had reached down his throat, taken his guts and wrenched them out. His teammate is much more reckless this time around for better or for worse – it seems like Hinata's had just as much influence on Sakura as she has had on the heiress.

Cautiously, Naruto looks up at Kakashi.

His sensei has his jaw clenched though it's barely visible behind his mask – only years of interacting with the lazy ninja has made him so in tune to his teacher's mannerisms.

Naruto sighs despondently – he's royally screwed things up. Kakashi had already been wary of him first time around, as Minato and Kushina's kid at first, but also because Kurama had been so scarring on the population of Konoha that the mere mention of the kyuubi left people jarred.

But his sensei had warmed up to him eventually, seeing him as a simple harmless dobe.

Except now he'd proved that he was certainly _not _harmless.

Ahead of him the Hokage Tower looms up, for the first time feeling slightly menacing.

Kakashi pauses outside.

"…wait here," he says.

Naruto nods.

Reluctantly, Kakashi lets go of the vice grip on his arm and disappears, no doubt shunshin'ing up to the Hokage's office.

Naruto crosses his arms, fingernails digging into his biceps to stop him from doing anything impulsive – he's always hated waiting, waiting for verdicts, for punishments. Hopefully they won't mindwalk him – while Sakura has always had her Inner and Sasuke had developed such skills from being on the run for years, he had never developed such a mental defence. When he was young there had been no need, and once he was powerful – powerful enough to hold worthy secrets in his head – Kurama had taken care of any invasion.

Except he doubts that the fox will be willing to do so now.

Naruto sighs again, looking up at the Hokage Tower. He can sense Kakashi with Sarutobi and luckily there seems to be no third presence in the room. Hopefully the Hokage will be lenient. At least his use of the chakra chains had provided him with an opportunity.

A moment later Kakashi's chakra signature disappears and he shunshin's back down to Naruto.

"Come," he says, his face a fraction friendlier. He gestures with his hand, deciding not to clamp onto the jinchuuriki this time around.

Naruto follows him up the stairs to the Hokage's office, ignoring the stares of the receptionist and the other ninja in the foyer with the grace from years and years of practice. Kakashi is staunchly silent on the way up but this time the silence isn't as stifling.

Naruto swallows nervously as Kakashi pushes open the door.

"Naruto," Sarutobi says kindly.

"Old man," Naruto manages to laugh, but his voice has a clear shake.

"Why don't you have a seat," the Hokage says, gesturing to the chair in front of him. Naruto plops down, still painfully aware of Kakashi's presence behind him.

"Now," Sarutobi says gently, "Why don't you tell me what happened?"

Naruto swallows harshly, reciting the story he had practiced in his mind on the way here.

"That day that I found about Kur-the kyuubi, he pulled me in to talk to him."

Kakashi shoots him a sharp look but the Hokage hides his surprise perfectly.

"What did he tell you?"

"Nothing much – mostly just cussing me out and stuff, but then this lady appeared." Naruto takes a deep breath and eyes the Hokage cautiously. He shouldn't know the intricacies of the seal, not without Jiraiya here, so this _should _be believable.

"A lady?" Sarutobi asks carefully, "Can you describe her to me?"

Naruto lets out a small breath of relief – it worked. "Um-" he says, making sure his tone is innocent, "-she had bright red hair and she always said dattebane."

Kakashi lets out a shallow breath. The Hokage narrows his eyes almost indiscernibly.

"She taught me this good trick to hold 'im down – the fox that is. Look – I'll show you!"

Trying to slow his rapidly increasing heart rate, Naruto points his palms up to the ceiling. Two thick chakra chains shoot up, stopping right before they hit the ceiling.

"The Adamantine Sealing Chains," Kakashi breathes.

"I thought we'd lost this technique forever after-" the Hokage turns sharply towards Naruto. "Did she say who she was?"

Naruto shakes his head, looking up at the Hokage with wide eyes. "Why?"

The Hokage looks up at Kakashi.

"…nothing," he finally says.

Naruto narrows his eyes. It seems as if the Hokage will need a bit more pushing to reveal the truth to him.

"However she did mention something about how she thought I'd be super good at my dad's techniques, but I thought she was just joking because I don't have a dad."

"Naruto," Kakashi says, his voice cracking, "Everyone has a dad."

"But… I _don't."_

The Hokage takes a deep breath.

"Naruto," he says slowly. "Your dad was… he was the Fourth Hokage."

Naruto shoots up from his chair, trying his best to act surprised. "What – how – are you sure? Then – then that woman-"

"Was your mother, yes. Her name was Kushina. Uzumaki Kushina – that's where you got your last name."

Naruto begins to breathe rapidly, in line with his façade, but he can't help but wonder – would the Hokage have ever told him the truth if he hadn't found out by himself?

"I know this is a lot to digest but… they loved you. Your father sealed the kyuubi into you to save Konoha. He wanted-"

"He wanted you to be a hero," Kakashi says softly.

"Oh," Naruto says quietly. This whole situation is fake on his part and he feels terrible about it – but he'll need to continue the façade so that he can get-

His father's techniques.

Power.

Bile begins to rise up his throat.

_He's turning into Sasuke. _

Naruto stumbles back.

"I know this is a lot to digest," the Hokage says gently, but _this is not about that!_

Naruto takes deep breaths to calm himself. This is not- _he _is not-

"Is- is there anything left of theirs?" he asks quickly, distracting himself from his train of thought.

"…yes," the Hokage says quietly. "Some of your father's notes on his old techniques."

"May I- may I have them?"

Sarutobi pauses. "They're a bit advanced-"

"_Please _let me try." This has so many possibilities – he can use the rasengan which he'll need, knowing that Kakashi will teach the Uchiha it later – not to mention his father's signature hiraishin. Kami here he goes sounding like _Sasuke-_

The Hokage seems to sense his inner distress because he nods.

"Alright. Just wait here then, I'll go get the scrolls."

Naruto nods and the Hokage disappears, leaving him _waiting. _Again.

He looks to the side at Kakashi, his father's student, but his sensei quickly averts his gaze.

Naruto frowns – is this too much for him?

After an achingly long wait the Hokage reappears, glancing quickly between Kakashi and Naruto before handing the blonde three scrolls tied together.

"Here you go," Sarutobi says.

"Thank you," Naruto says honestly.

"Now," the Hokage says gruffly, "Off you go then. I'll have you come back soon just so we can check up on your seal, but I think this time will be good for you to come to terms with this new information."

Naruto nods robotically.

"Yes sir."

"Good," the Hokage smiles. "Now, off you go then. Kakashi, I'll just have you stay behind. There're some things I need to go over with you."

"Yes Hokage-sama," Kakashi says quietly.

Both adults turn to Naruto and he gulps, resisting the urge to scamper away.

"I'll be going now then," Naruto says awkwardly.

"Yes," Sarutobi nods. "I will see to it that you come see me again in a few days, alright? We'll need to check up on your seals"

Naruto nods, taking measured steps away. He closes the door behind him and pauses – he should listen in to their conversation, see what the Hokage is instructing Kakashi to do. Except… he can't bring himself to do so. This is new territory, for him, for his sensei, for the Hokage. And he just feels so _tired._

Resolutely, Naruto turns around and walks down the stairs. When he reaches the lobby the chatter begins to flitter out, all of the ninja turning to watch him with distrust. Naruto swallows harshly, bowing his head – he'd think that he'd be used to it by now, after so many years, and he _has _but-

But he'd had such _high _expectations for today, and even though he's got his father's jutsus in his hand it doesn't feel quite _right. _

In front of him the doors to the Hokage Tower opens and Sakura walks in, head held high.

Naruto looks up in surprise, hands tightening around his father's old scrolls.

"Naruto," Sakura says resolutely. "Good to see you here."

"Well- um- yes?" Naruto says, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "What're you doing here?"

"I was just looking for my uncle," Sakura waves dismissively. "I wonder if he's here." She steps closer to him and pointedly stares each ninja in the room in the eye. They all look away from the pair and cautiously resume their old chatter.

"Ah! Kitomi-san," Sakura calls loudly. A Hyuuga jounin turns around and nods at his teammate, pointedly avoiding looking at Naruto.

"I haven't seen your uncle Sakura, I think he's on a mission."

"No matter," Sakura waves. "This is my teammate, Naruto."

The Hyuuga purses her lips, eyes flitting once over to him before back to Sakura. "How… unfor-"

"_My teammate," _Sakura emphasises. The Hyuuga silences. "Naruto, this is Hyuuga Kitomi. I know her from Hinata-chan."

"Oh," Naruto says, adjusting his hold on the scrolls awkwardly. "Hi. I'm also friends with-"

Sakura elbows him and he shuts up. He realises a second later – probably not best to mention being friends with Hinata in front of the Hyuuga prudes. They'd probably get her in trouble for associating with their heiress.

"Aren't you going to say hi?" Sakura asks pointedly.

"…good afternoon," the Hyuuga says quickly.

Naruto grins. "Good afternoon to you too!"

"Well then," Sakura says, "I'll be going then. See ya later Naruto, Kitomi-san."

"Goodbye," the Hyuuga murmurs.

"See ya?" Naruto says slowly, slightly baffled and unsure of _what _just happened. His teammate shoots him one last grin before bounding out of the Hokage Tower, probably continuing her search for her uncle.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Naruto tightens his hold on his father's scrolls and begins his walk out, head held high. Except now no one's looking at him – there are no judgemental stares. Everyone's making sure not to be obviously mean which is... new.

Naruto pushes the door to the tower open, small smile on his face. He's already feeling better – better about everything. So what if the Hokage's talking to Kakashi now? His sensei is a smart man – a _good _man – and he won't buy into that kyuubi hate of the villagers. And after their conversation in the Tower he feels as if Kakashi does see him as more now – more than a spawn of Minato and Kushina but an actual kid, a legacy of two of the most important people in his sensei's life.

Naruto's step falters. He pauses in the middle of the path away from Konoha Markets and squints.

Lips curling up into a grin, Naruto tucks the scrolls under his arm, stuffs his hand into his pockets and approaches the figure leaning against the tree.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto nods.

"Naruto," Sasuke nods back. Then he reaches down and grabs something from behind the tree.

"Here," he says gruffly, averting his eyes awkwardly. Naruto's gaze drops down to the bento box in his teammate's hands.

"From this afternoon. I- uh- heated it for you. Reckon you haven't had lunch yet."

Naruto opens his mouth, then closes it.

"I-"

Sasuke drops the bento box onto the ground and unceremoniously walks away.

Naruto blinks twice.

Then he grins, leaning down and grabbing the bento box, tucking it under his other arm.

"Thank you," he whispers to the wind.

* * *

**AN: **I know I know, all three of them are still hiding. But don't worry - things are coming to a head soon! They won't all stay weak - I won't give any spoilers, but I can guarantee that the reveal _will _happen, and it will _not _be happening at the end of the story... kind of. The idea I have is kind of complicated but hopefully it turns out like I hope it will. Also, Naruto's reconnecting with some Namikaze legacy! I'm quite excited about that :)

Thanks to reviewers **Callian31, the Hate Child, Broken Reveries, Guest, Lonely Athena, Insidious Person, Sincerely Athena, wingofpain, DaManKaliel, Shinen no Hikari **and **depressedchildren**. I love hearing all your comments!

Hope you all enjoyed, best wishes for 2015 and leave a review/PM me letting me know what you think about how everything's progressing x


	11. Team 7 - III

**AN: **Kind of a filler chapter. Sorry guys! But on the bright side, things are starting to heat up :)

* * *

_**Team 7 - III**_

* * *

**Sasuke**

Something's _off._

Something's off about him, about Sakura, about Naruto.

Next to him, Sakura fiddles with her thumbs uncomfortably – one of the Hyuuga heiress's habits, actually. She looks up and he quickly glances away, eyes turning back to the treetops opposite them. The two of them are waiting – have been waiting for the last half hour – for their sensei and their last teammate.

Sakura swallows noisily before he senses a quick jolt of chakra bursting from her fingertips. He looks over but his teammate is staring absentmindedly into the sky.

Strange.

Sighing, Sasuke rubs his eyes. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night thanks to all the weird stuff going on with Naruto and how strange he'd been acting – how strange even _Sakura'd _been acting. And he'd been… worried. Not that Uchiha Sasuke ever worried, of course, but-

Sasuke grunts. Whatever. Like he had been thinking, he hadn't gotten much sleep last night and while that was something he was more than used to in his last life, having had copious amounts of sleep this time around meant that his body wasn't nearly as ready to cope with the strain.

"They're coming," Sakura whispers softly. "Together."

Sasuke narrows his eyes – this had been one of the issues he had been- not worrying- _thinking _about last night. Sakura seems grossly _better _this time around than last time – _why?_

He looks over at his teammate but she's twiddling her thumbs again, like Hinata always does.

Sasuke pauses – is it all because of Hinata? He knows that Sakura at this age had always been that awkward mix between insecure, shallow and naïve – maybe that had made her also extremely influentiable? Is that even a word? Able to be influenced?

Sasuke scowls and Sakura sneaks a peek over.

Maybe because she'd been so close to Ino last time some of that crazy confidence had rubbed off, but now that she's with Hinata she's meeker and more willing to train? Or something like that, he supposes.

But that still doesn't explain all her quirks and-

Naruto's chakra signature flickers into his range, accompanied by Kakashi.

Sasuke sighs – now that is a _whole _other issue.

Naruto's grip on the kyuubi had slipped yesterday – that much was obvious. He had looked happy when Sasuke saw him yesterday so he'd thought that the talk with the Hokage had gone well. But today the blonde is coming with Kakashi – and from the direction of the Hokage Tower no less. Had something else happened? Had they been checking up on his seal? Could they even _do _that without Jiraiya?

Sasuke sighs again, resisting the urge to rub his temples. Goddammit he's not used to- to _worrying._

Stupid Sakura. Stupid _Naruto. _

Kakashi and Naruto finally emerge from the treetops into Training Ground 3. Sakura looks up with a grin, matching Naruto's equally rambunctious one and Sasuke scowls even harder. His stupid teammates are so oblivious and _happy _while he's here _worrying. _

Of course he's only worrying because if things change too much his plan will have to be re-evaluated. Right.

Goddammit.

At least Kakashi walks in looking somber for his usual self. This at least makes Sasuke smile slightly before he realises that Kakashi's somber expression probably doesn't bode well for either of them.

Sasuke scowls again.

"Good morning Naruto, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura greets sweetly.

Sasuke scowls even harder. She hadn't greeted _him. _

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto grins before turning to Sasuke. "Sasuke."

Sasuke grunts, instinctively turning away. The blonde is still grinning, no doubt remembering that awkward incident from yesterday. Instead, Sasuke turns his gaze to their sensei who is eyeing all three with a seemingly blank stare.

"Team 7," Kakashi muses.

Almost instinctively Sasuke snaps to attention and even Sakura and Naruto manage to gain enough control over themselves to pay attention.

"I'm sure you're all wondering whether or not you all managed to pass."

Sasuke suppresses the urge to wince – that had been the last on his list of 'things to worry about'. It doesn't help that Kakashi is beginning to produce that deathly aura he still remembers from last time around – the one he had scared his twelve-year-old genin team with after they fed Naruto food while he was on the pole. After all, this is one of the most important things that _has _to happen – if there's no Team 7 the timeline he knows will fracture. Which means if Kakashi pulls a stunt like that, Sasuke will have to sacrifice his pride and pull the teamwork card – because goodness knows at this age Sakura and even Naruto haven't grasped that yet.

But who knows – if he pulls the teamwork card maybe it'll turn out better for him. Kakashi will be less so damn suspicious and maybe start teaching him earlier – all of the jutsu he's learnt from his sensei – chidori, raikiri – it'd be _very _useful to be able to start using them again. And if Kakashi looks upon him more favourably, so will the rest of Konoha – after all, as lazy as his sensei is he's still an extremely capable and popular ninja. He'd been prime candidate for Hokage after all – even made the position after Tsunade, right before Naruto's reign.

Kakashi seems to take joy in his team's nervous energy – Naruto looks like he's about to burst and Sakura is pretty much chewing her lip off.

"However before we begin," Kakashi says smoothly and Sakura looks murderous_, _"-Naruto has something to tell you."

Naruto steps forward quickly and blurts out – "I found out who my parents are."

Sasuke pauses. _Really? _How? _Why? _Was it because of the kyuubi?

"That's wonderful!" Sakura says quickly.

"They were both, uh-" Naruto scratches his head awkwardly, avoiding his teammates' stares. "They were both- missing ninja."

Sakura's smile drops. "What."

"That's not true," Sasuke says flatly.

"Yes it is," Naruto says earnestly.

Sasuke snorts in disbelief. What had the Hokage done? Spinning his head with _lies – stupid stupid Konoha he knew they should've burned-_

But then something seems to click in Sakura because she says enthusiastically- "I don't care! It doesn't matter who they are, it only matters who _you _are, and _you're _my _teammate."_

"What." Sasuke deadpans.

Kakashi is still watching the three with a careful eye and Naruto is sheepishly running his hand through his hair, eyes darting everywhere but his and Sakura's.

"What." Sasuke repeats.

Sakura spins around and glares at him, shuffling closer before she grabs him by the shirt and yanks him towards her.

It's only the bright pink hair which reminds him that this is _Sakura _and not _enemy _which stops him from instinctively cutting her throat with the kunai inches from his hand.

"_Teamwork," _she hisses, and immediately Sasuke understands.

Sakura lets him go and he turns to Naruto.

"Whatever," he says gruffly. "What Sakura said. I don't care."

Then he turns to Kakashi and waits expectantly.

"Well," their sensei finally says, "I suppose that's the best I'll get from him."

He turns to his three genin and smiles. "You all… PASS."

Sasuke smirks.

"YES!" Naruto whoops, "I knew you guys could do it. YES!"

Sasuke's smirk drops. "You guys? 'I knew _you guys _could do it'?"

Naruto freezes, chuckling awkwardly.

"Well," Kakashi smiles, interjecting before a fight can start, "Caught red-handed."

"Sensei?" Sakura asks, her voice a perfect mix between innocence and confusion. But her eyes are glinting, promising violence in that familiar way of old Sakura.

"Before you all start shouting," Kakashi says, as if they would – well, maybe Sakura would. "Tell me – why do Konoha ninja work in units?"

"Oh I know!" Sakura says quickly. "Teamwork. Konoha ninja are supposed to prize teamwork over the individual."

"And why is that?" Kakashi asks. "After all, isn't the whole point of being a ninja honing your own individual talents?"

"Because," Sasuke says quietly, "An individual action that disrupts teamwork will result in danger or even death for the teammates."

Naruto grits his teeth. Sakura smiles wanly.

"Isn't that _true," _she says, baring her teeth at Sasuke. "Glad to know you know it then."

Sasuke bristles, quashing the guilt which is beginning to rise in his stomach.

"In every mission you put your life on the line," Kakashi says, stepping in between Sakura and Sasuke. "There is a stone, you know, where many names of ninjas – heroes – are carved."

"Really? I want my name to be there!" Naruto says, but his enthusiasm feels forced. Bitter.

Sasuke can feel the familiar repulsion beginning to surface within him, taste the bile at the back of his tongue. The last time he'd passed the memorial stone it had had one new name carved on it – _Haruno Sakura. _He had saw it, in fact, while he had been sneaking into Konoha for her funeral.

Except it had failed – Naruto had seen him and had gotten so _angry-_

They had fought over her coffin.

"No," Kakashi says, snapping him out of his trance. "They're the names of those who were-"

"Killed In Action," Sasuke whispers.

Sakura's eyes flitter to his. "I have a feeling I'll end up there," she murmurs.

"_No_," Naruto emphasises. "In that case, _none _of us are going to end up on that memorial stone. Not even you Kakashi-sensei."

"My friends names are carved there," their sensei muses. He turns back to the three genin, smile back on his face. "Ninja need to think beyond the normal. In the world of ninja, those who break the rules are called trash. But those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash."

Almost synonymously his two teammates surreptitiously glance at him. Sasuke averts his eyes.

"The point of this was to test your teamwork," Kakashi says. "Actually, I had come here today with the intent of passing you all – your reactions in the bell test to Naruto's slip-up already showed strong signs that you would become a seamless team. However I had to make sure that it wasn't a coincidence, done merely for self-preservation instead of real teamwork. So I came up with this test."

He gestures for Naruto to come over and the blonde steps up.

"You see," Kakashi says, gesturing towards Naruto, "Naruto here found out some information yesterday. It was quite personal – the reason, in fact, that your parents might have told you to stay away from him."

Sakura blushes but Sasuke simply grits his teeth. Parents, huh?

"However Naruto was adamant on sharing it with you two. And when I asked him why, he told me that it was because it could endanger the both of you and he wanted you all to be best prepared. That was a true show of teamwork to me – Naruto was willing to reach out to you. So the question remained – would you two be willing to extend the gesture back?"

"So you came up with the missing nin idea," Sakura surmised, "knowing that with all the teachings the Academy exposed to us, we would immediately recoil from such an idea."

Kakashi smiles. "Good deducing work Sakura."

"And it worked!" Naruto says excitedly. "See? We three are one!"

Sakura stares at him and laughs. "That's right! We three are one! Ha! We three are one!"

Sasuke stares at his two teammates incredulously. This can't be happening again – the _exact same thing _his teammates had said last time – they're saying it all – _again!_

Kakashi turns to him expectantly and Sasuke sighs, but it's a strange, _strange _sigh of something more than annoyance – of nostalgia and maybe even happiness-

"We three are one," he acquiesces.

* * *

**Sakura**

"Now wait," Sakura says, "What was it you _really _wanted to tell us? Before Kakashi roped you into his plan?"

"Well," Naruto says sheepishly, "I dunno if you all noticed yesterday, but well, I was emitting a different type of chakra."

_Yes, _Sakura thinks, _it was quite obvious and _very very_ malicious. Anyone could have felt the hate from a mile away._

"It's because- uh-" Naruto chokes off, swallowing quickly. "Um…"

Sakura softens. It must be hard for Naruto – he's at the age where everyone hates him yet he's telling her and Sasuke something which, as far as he knows, will only make them hate him more.

"Go on," she says softly. "It's alright."

"See uh- when's my birthday?"

"October 10," Sasuke says quietly, the same time Naruto says – "What am I asking? You obviously don't know."

Sakura narrows her eyes at Sasuke. There's a moment of strained silence before Sasuke says – "I remember. From the Academy."

Something's off.

"You have good memory," Sakura says slowly.

"You have good chakra perception," Sasuke counters.

"Anyway," Naruto says, and Sakura turns back immediately, feeling bad for turning this away from him again. "October 10. Twelve years ago. That uh, ring a bell?"

Sasuke narrows his eyes.

"Oh my god," Sakura says quietly, for show if nothing else. "The- the kyuubi attack."

"Yeah," Naruto says softly. "What ended up happening to him?"

"The Fourth Hokage defeated it-" Sakura begins.

"No." Sasuke cuts her off. "He didn't."

She shoots him another sharp look – how did he know? The Uchiha? But he hadn't known last time around and he'd only been eight when- when they all died.

"What?" Sakura asks forlornly.

"He sealed the kyuubi away," Naruto says softly, lifting up the top of his jumpsuit. "_Look," _he says brokenly. "It-it's _me."_

Sakura can feel pain clutching at her chest at the sight of Naruto's despondent look. "It's not you," she says vehemently. "It's not you, it's- it's _different."_

"I hate it," Sasuke hisses. Naruto recoils, eyes hurt. "But- but it's not… it's not you, like Sakura said."

Sakura looks at Sasuke in surprise as Naruto breaks into the largest grin she's ever seen.

"Thank- thanks guys. Really. Th-thanks," he says, and it looks like he's about to tear up in that _Naruto _way of his-

"Hn," Sasuke grunts, but it's that familiar 'stop crying dobe you're making me uncomfortable' grunt of his. Naruto grins wobbly and behind him, Kakashi has a real smile on his face.

"Don't cry yet," their sensei says, placing his hand on top of Naruto's head, "There's more."

Sakura pauses. "There's _more?"_

"I- uh- I found out who my parents are. _Really _are," Naruto says.

Sakura freezes. _No. _He can't – the seal-

_No. _What's she thinking? The Hokage must've told him. There's no way he loosened the seal-

But why would he? If she was the Hokage, that's _definitely _not what she would've done. Naruto at this age is one in which he might shout it to the world and the right political decision would _not _be to tell him. But the Hokage was always sentimental- _no. _He still wouldn't have done it without being pushed. But how- what-

"…who?" Sasuke says cautiously.

"Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina!"

There's silence in the clearing.

"The Fourth Hokage," Sakura says softly.

Naruto smiles. "Yeah. But you guys can't tell anyone – I mean, no offense but-"

"It's not our secret to share," Sakura finishes.

"Yeah," Naruto mumbles.

"That's right," Kakashi cuts in, but Sakura's mind is still whirling on her previous thoughts. "If you talk I'm afraid you aren't fit to be ninja yet – your teammate has trusted you and you would be worse than scum if you were to betray it."

Sasuke winces, but Sakura has to ask-

"How did you find out?"

"Just some intricacies with his seal," Kakashi says, "Don't worry about it, you won't understand."

Sakura tenses. Next to her Sasuke frowns.

"The… seal?" she repeats.

"Like I said, don't worry about it," Kakashi smiles.

"I-" Sakura says, opening her mouth before closing it. "It-"

"It doesn't work that way," Sasuke whispers next to her, so quiet she almost doesn't hear. Naruto and Kakashi are oblivious to her teammates words but to Sakura they're so momentous because _what _does he mean and _how _could he _know what does this all mean why is her world splintering?_

_Team 7 is not what it seems right now, _Sakura sees.

"Congratulations," Kakashi says brightly, unaware of her inner turmoil. "Team 7 is ready for missions. Your first one begins tomorrow – a D-rank, of course. Meet me here at 7."

"Yes sir!" Naruto salutes enthusiastically.

"I'm- uh- I'm gonna go. Now." Sakura says quickly, turning around and walking away quickly without waiting for an answer. Something strange is going on – something bigger than petty team troubles. There is an elephant in the room and Sakura can't see it. But she _knows – _she _knows _that it is there.

Perhaps Naruto and Sasuke sense it too because they let her go without a word of protest. Team 7 is more mellowed this time around – _she _is more mellowed this time around. From love found and lost, from friendships broken, from vanished identities, from pain and blood and gore and _war. _

_That fucking war. _

Sakura takes a deep breath. She's losing her hold on her emotions – that always seems to happen when she's around her teammates huh? It had all been good focusing on _the future _and how to _save the fucking world _but she'd really been – really is – a bit screwed up. She still feels like a separate entity, as if all her actions are for the purpose of _acting _rather than feeling,_ living. _Team 7 has always been screwed up, but they had been screwed up _together. _

And now she's alone.

But is she?

_God. _

Sakura resists the urge to tear her hands through her hair. This is not- _she _is not- where had her emotionless Root façade gone? All this stuff with Naruto and Sasuke – had her sudden reunion with such strong anchors in her past caused her to go crazy? She's a medic nin, she knows the signs even though the area isn't her speciality.

The only good thing that seems to have come out today is that Sasuke had figured out her teamwork hint through that thick skull of his and Team 7 passed.

She needs to get back her routine, Sakura resolves. All this fretting is not good for her.

Mind made up she turns resolutely towards the Hyuuga compound. She has to bypass the Uchiha compound on the way – after all, Konoha isn't big enough for two of the biggest compounds to be too far apart – but her chakra perception allow her to stay _far far _away from Sasuke.

The Hyuuga compound is good. It's routine. It reminds her of the day where there was familiarity, routine and _discipline. _

Discipline had been important in her duties as head of Root and Konoha Hospital and discipline had been equally present in her time with the Hyuuga. It had been good. Familiar. She had liked it. It had made her feel as if she had a purpose, a goal she was striving towards. It didn't fill her mind with preposterous thoughts like maybe her teammates-

The Hyuuga compound gates appear before her, snapping her out of her daze. New gate guards are posted there – the ones she had humiliated seven years ago had been promoted three years ago. These new ones have no hostility towards her but are also unaware of the contract she had carried with the Hyuuga. In fact, it's been so long that essentially her slate has been wiped clean – there are few she sees now who are aware of Sakura's first 'relationship' with the clan.

The gate guards give her a nod as she approaches the gates – the Hyuuga version of a cheerful greeting – but they both seem strained. When they swing open the metal gates for her, Sakura notes that the whole compound seems quiet and strained. More than usual, that is.

She thanks the gate guards quietly and they close the gates behind her, the loud bang echoing through the stifling silence.

A second later, Hyuuga Kitomi appears in front of her – a Hyuuga jounin she had trained with years ago, and the one she had encountered yesterday in the Hokage tower.

"Kitomi-san," Sakura murmurs quietly. There's no need to act around Kitomi – the jounin is one of the few who knows how trained she is. One of the advantages in training with the Hyuuga, she supposes. They're an intensely private clan, reclusive almost. It's advantageous to her because it means that arrangements such as hers never reach the Hokage. And the Hyuuga like it because she's their own little secret weapon. She's bound to them now – they trained her as a child and she'll carry the loyalty for the rest of her life.

"Sakura," the jounin says quietly, "I was just going to find you."

Immediately Sakura is on high alert. "What happened?"

Kitomi sighs, the small breath belying the jounin's sadness. "Elder Arumi is dead."

For a second Sakura's mind is blank.

"What?" she says coldly.

"Elder Arumi died," Kitomi says softly. "Peacefully. From old age, I can assure you that."

Sakura reels back in surprise. Elder Arumi, when she'd first met her, had been a taciturn elder, critical of a young Sakura. Especially compared to ambivalent Elder Hoshiko and the mellow Elder Juu, Arumi seemed a harsh force to be reckoned with. She had been the most skeptical about training Sakura. But as they'd trained more, as she'd gotten to know the woman more, Sakura held a strange but a strong respect for the woman. To Sakura she represented what a strong, free, independent spirit like hers would have turned out in in a clan of such high political tensions as the Hyuuga.

There's an emptiness in her chest – emptiness Sakura has not felt for a long time. And it feels constricting, sorrowful, like the grips of reality creeping up and suppressing her from her gut all the way up to the top of her throat.

The feeling reminds her of _war. _

"This is your first death, I understand," Kitomi says, "But you must learn to overcome it. You know, Sakura, many were not as lucky as you and their first deaths came years before. You must learn to bounce back."

Immediately Naruto and Sasuke come to mind but she pushes them away quickly.

"I'm fine," she says quickly. It's not her first death and it shouldn't affect her. It _shouldn't. _

"Sakura-" Kitomi begins, but Sakura cuts in.

"Where's Hinata?" she asks brusquely.

Kitomi purses her lips. "In the gardens."

"Good bye then," Sakura says curtly.

"Sakura-" Kitomi sighs but Sakura shunshin's away. It probably isn't necessary but she needs to _get away _and she knows the compound well enough anyway so what's the harm and Hinata's probably hurting anyway-

Sakura quickly wipes her eyes with her sleeves. She isn't crying. She _isn't. _

In front of her she sees Hinata in the gardens, leaning down as she peers at her newly planted seeds. Another familiar chakra signature flitters at the edge of the gardens, just out of sight.

"Hey," Sakura says softly, easily slipping into her medic-nin alter-ego. "I heard about Elder Arumi. How are you holding up?"

Hinata shrugs, not looking up from her plants. "Alright, I guess. I mean, I didn't know her very well but I- I admired her. She was strong. In a clan I- I couldn't be strong in."

"She was a strong woman, a good woman," Sakura agrees quietly.

"Don't pretend like you knew her," the sharp voice of the hidden figure finally calls out.

Next to her, Hinata tenses.

"Neji-san," Sakura addresses tersely. She had wanted to be on good terms with the Hyuuga prodigy but unfortunately her friendship with Hinata had meant that she had been immediately termed enemy in his eyes. It also doesn't help that her civilian appearance and pink hair seems to perpetrate the idea of weakness that he hates.

"You should leave," Neji says, every bit the arrogant brat at twelve this time around that he was last time. "You don't deserve to be here with us at this time. Not you, not Hinata-sama. You never knew her. You were too _weak _to train with her, and now you never will."

Hinata looks as if she's about to break out into sobs and Sakura narrows her eyes at the prodigy.

"Leave," she says quietly. _"Now."_

Neji bristles, evidently not used to being ordered around. Sakura sends a sharp burst of chakra to her fingertips and Neji, at high alert as always, senses it. He frowns, looking unsure of what to do before finally retreating. This time no Hyuuga ninja jump out to subdue her – the elders had made sure that she be untouched.

The elders – but now only Hoshiko and Juu are left.

Sakura turns back to Hinata, making sure her unfazed mask is still on and unbreakable – after all, like Neji said, she never knew these people, never would.

But she _did _and it _hurt-_

"How was team training?" Sakura asks quickly, diverting the topic. It won't do her any good to Sasuke-angst any more.

"Alright," Hinata smiles. "Kiba's loud but he's sweet and Shino… he's really quiet but I think he's nice."

"That's good," Sakura says. Like last time Team 10 hadn't had another test like Team 7 had – stacked teams like theirs had to pass, especially when they carried three clan heirs. It was too good of an opportunity for them not to all pass – if a team like that came to fruition ties between the three clans would strengthen immensely and it was all nice warm fuzzy feelings for political brains like hers and the Hokage's.

"What about you?" Hinata asks.

Sakura suppresses the urge to wince. She should've known – asking a question like that she'd be expected to answer too.

"Oh, you know, good," she answered vaguely. "It was, uh, good of you to warn Naruto about Kakashi though."

Immediately Sakura regrets her words – now Hinata's going to feel guilty about warning Naruto and not her, just as she was trying to cheer up the heiress too.

But Hinata simply frowns and Sakura's world begins to fracture.

"What are you talking about Sakura?" the heiress says, blissfully unaware of the implication of her words. "I didn't warn him."

* * *

**Naruto**

Naruto walks into the Bokudo Weapons Shop, palms tingling.

The shopkeeper narrows his eyes at the young blonde and gestures over his chuunin son, whispering quietly in his ear. Naruto sighs – no doubt the shopkeeper is scared that he's going to make off with some weapons like last time. Which he won't, now that he's an official ninja under the Hokage.

As a celebration for passing, Iruka-sensei had offered to treat him to ramen however Naruto had asked for some new weapons instead. So his old Academy sensei had given him 10000 yen to go and purchase himself a new set of kunai and shuriken - at least, that had been what he told him. Except Naruto still has the pack he nicked last time from the shop and now that he's got his father's scrolls and a viable way to explain more of his future knowledge, Naruto is well intent on utilising them.

"Good afternoon," Naruto greets politely. "How much is a custom made kunai?"

While his father's scrolls allow him to perform the hiraishin, Naruto has plans to branch out into the Rasen Senko Cho Rinbuko Sanshiki – a technique only his father had been able to perform. While the hiraishin was useful for escape or simple quick teleportation, the latter was more effective as an attack, either against individuals or armies – something he'll need knowing the upcoming fights against the likes of Zabuza, Orochimaru and the Sand Invasion.

However the latter technique requires custom made kunai – these ones will have three prongs instead of the standard one and be heavier than them as well, but the three prongs will make them more useful in melee fighting. He'll put the special hiraishin seals on the handle and then they'll be exact replicas of his father's.

His father had many techniques that he used with these kunai - throwing multiple special kunai, making the opponent unable to guess where he would end up, keeping them at safe houses for safety and the likes.

Naruto grins – now that he can, he is dying to utilise these techniques.

"7500 yen," the shopkeeper sneers.

Naruto shakes his head. "Tell me the truth or I'll report to the Hokage and you'll be charged with extortion. I'm a fully instated ninja now, and I won't steal from you."

The shopkeeper purses his lips. "5000 yen."

Naruto frowns. This time the shopkeeper is telling the truth – he knows that – but it is still expensive. He'd have been able to buy a full set of weapons with 10000 – twenty kunai and ten shuriken. Not that he'd expect anything less for something custom made. But two kunai takes away the confusion aspect of the attack but it doesn't matter - he'll just have to utilise these two well. He could always throw them behind the opponent then teleport there, attacking at the blindside. Hopefully though he'll have enough money to buy more soon, and he'll have the regular hiraishin either way.

"I'll take two please," Naruto finally says, sliding over the money.

The shopkeeper nods, not looking pleased but refraining from saying anything derogatory. "What design would you like?"

Naruto reaches into his pocket and unfurls the sketch he'd made of his father's signature kunai.

The shopkeeper looks down at the sketch then back up at Naruto, taking in his features with a new eye.

"I… haven't made these in a long time," the shopkeeper muses. His son peeks over and stares at the sketches but obviously doesn't recognise them – the chuunin looks fifteen meaning that he'd have been only three when the Fourth had died.

"Alright then," the shopkeeper says, putting the money in the cash register. "They'll be ready in a week."

He hands Naruto back the sketch and the blonde looks up at him in confusion.

"Don't you need it for reference? It's got all the measurements on it."

The shopkeeper smiles nostalgically. "I know them by heart, my boy. Now off you go."

Naruto thanks him quietly before pausing.

"I- uh- I'm sorry for stealing from you before," he says sheepishly.

The shopkeeper lips turn up in a small smile. "It's been years boy, it's alright. And… good luck with your jutsu."

Naruto's eyes widen minutely in surprise before grinning. "I will. Thanks, uh-"

"Iide Hajime," the shopkeeper introduces. "You can call me Iide-san."

Naruto grins. "Will do Iide-san!"

The shopkeeper gives the boy one last nod and Naruto waves. He pauses just outside the exit to lightly brush the inside of the door, leaving behind a hiraishin seal. If things go too bad in battle he can hiraishin here, grab some weapons for him and his team before hiraishin'ing back – he feels as if the man is warming up to him somewhat. Hopefully by then though he'll have gathered enough money to reimburse Iide-san for his troubles.

Giving the shopkeeper one last wave, Naruto leaves Bokudo Weapons Shop, heading towards the Hyuuga compound. Now that the hiraishin has been taken care of, he needs to focus on the second of his father's scrolls – the rasengan.

While he has the normal version down pat, now he needs to improve it using that scroll he stole from the Hyuuga all those years ago – during that incident where he'd met Hinata and finally snapped himself out of that post-war state. For the most part, that is. Using that technique rasengan will be explosive and much more damaging and harder to avoid. If Kabuto thinks he can use that 'no injury after hit' technique, try again.

And he knows the perfect person to help – Hinata. After all, Naruto knows from experience that you can't do everything alone, despite what Sasuke had thought – still thinks? While he'd had Jiraiya to learn from, Naruto has none of that now. But he does have his parents techniques, his own secret power. It had been the same last time around – Team 7 split evenly with the sannin but there had always been those people his team rarely talked about – Naruto reconnecting with his heritage, Sakura honing her darker Root side through Kabuto's techniques and Sasuke fighting but also carefully observing Madara and Obito. They all knew it, but none of them had ever said anything.

Their team won't be the powerhouse it once was, but if Naruto can just pull his weight and nudge his teammates – especially Sasuke – in the _right_ direction, there is potential.

Naruto senses Hinata emerging from the compound and grins – he won't have to brave the stifling compound to see her. Even though the clan had improved drastically after the war with Naruto himself working on a seal to free the branch, there were still strong tensions there. Not to mention Naruto himself had died before ever completing the project.

"Hinata!" Naruto calls out, jogging over to where the Hyuuga heiress is walking, flowers in her hands. "How are you?"

Hinata looks up and smiles softly. "I'm alright I guess."

Naruto pauses. "I guess?"

Hinata sighs. "A Hyuuga elder died today."

Naruto's face drops. "Aw no, Hinata-chan I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Hinata says quietly. "I didn't know her that well anyway. She was always scary too but I- I admired her you know, for staying strong. It's hard to there."

"Yeah," Naruto agrees, Hinata's description echoing the Sakura of a past life.

"But Kitomi-san said it'd be good for me to get out of the compound so I'm taking some flowers to mother's grave – Arumi, the elder, will be buried next to her."

"That's nice," Naruto says quietly. His dad was simply remembered with a tombstone, his body hidden away somewhere else while his mother didn't even have that luxury. The kyuubi attack had decimated the village, leaving Konoha cemeteries overflowing.

"Yeah," Hinata says softly. "Wanna walk with me?"

Naruto smiles. "I'd love to."

Naruto walks alongside the heiress in silence. He can't ask her anything about his technique now – definitely not – but he's comfortable just walking along her. It's been awhile since he's really grieved but the feeling anchors him to this time and reminds him even harder of why he has to get stronger.

"You mentioned Kitomi-san," Naruto says quietly, breaking the silence. "I met her yesterday actually, in the Hokage Tower. Sakura introduced me."

"Kitomi-san can be judging," Hinata says with a small laugh, no doubt having guessed the jounin's first reaction to the jinchuuriki. "But she's a good person. She likes Sakura. Everyone back there likes Sakura – I don't think they ever thought I'd make a friend."

"Oh no Hinata that's not true," Naruto says. And he knows that Hinata probably just sees his words as meaningless platitudes but he means them with the whole of his heart.

"But it can be good, I suppose. Sakura-chan was kind enough to stay behind and take care of my duties for me so that I could go out."

Naruto smiles softly – even at this age Sakura is already working that political brain of hers, no doubt winning the support of the Hyuuga.

"Sakura's a good kid," Naruto agrees.

Hinata glances over at him before smiling. "You like her? Like, _like _her?"

Naruto chuckles. He loves her, like he loves Sasuke, the same way Team 7 loves each other. But there'd always been too much history between them, too many betrayals, tricks and pain. Team 7 will never be the way it was at twelve.

But maybe… this time it can happen. Even though he'll never be able to crush on his teammate the same, innocent way anymore, perhaps Sakura will grow to love Sasuke like she did last time around, like perhaps she was always supposed to. Maybe this time around, he'll even grow to love her back.

And he won't kill her, and Naruto won't kill him, and he won't be the only one left of Team 7 before Kurama drags him out of his self-pitying hell hole.

"I like her," Naruto says truthfully. "I do."

"But not that way," Hinata notes quietly.

"No," Naruto agrees. "Not that way."

"Pity," Hinata sighs. "You would've been good to her."

_I would've been good to you._

Naruto pinches himself. Leaving Hinata behind had been his guiltiest moment but this time around he'll make things better. He'll save Neji, Hiashi. Hanabi will still be young, determined, and _happy. _Hinata will be able to be the mother she always wanted to be. This time around Hinata will be whole and not _fractured. _

They reach the Hyuuga's private plots to the east of Konoha's main cemetery. Hinata crouches down, placing the flowers down below the gravestone dedicated to the Hyuuga matriarch. She bows and whispers words, Naruto standing respectfully behind.

His eyes flitter over to the Uchiha's plot – one marked by a large cenotaph for all those killed in the massacre. The individual names are carved on it, much like the memorial stone Kakashi had pointed out this morning.

In another life, he made sure Sasuke's was carved there too, despite the protests of many.

But this time his name won't lie there. Nor will Sakura's be carved into the memorial stone. This time Team 7 will _survive._

* * *

**AN: **Things are starting to heat up. Good news is in a bout of inspiration I mapped out exactly when and how the big reveal will happen. I even wrote a few snippets so I'm quite excited about that, and hopefully it'll live up to my and your expectations. So yeah, stay excited!

Thanks to **Guest, usaginekohime, Please send me messages, Lonely Athena, Kyoshu Koi, noodlepower, the Hate Child, Yaki532, Suzululu4moe, kaed1234, Enigma infinite, Broken Reveries, Guest, Guest, CrazyScythe, Shinen no Hikari, Guest, uqoxe24, depressedchildren, Bananarock509, Dragonlord1199 **and **Guest **for your comments!

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and sorry nothing much happened but I'm really excited for the next chapter because it's Wave! If you have any thoughts/suggestions/critiques feel free to leave a comment and let me know x


	12. Wave - I

**AN: **So unfortunately not much happens in this chapter either but it's very important to the plot so just bear with me? Hope you all enjoy nonetheless x

* * *

_**Wave - I**_

* * *

**Sasuke**

It's eight o'clock – the same time that Team 7 had scheduled to meet.

Sasuke grabs his wallet and slips it into his pocket before performing a henge – he's got two hours to check if his plan can be implemented today.

And do his grocery shopping.

When the smoke disappears Sasuke looks twenty years older with shaggy brown hair and thin grey eyes – he is Segawa Hideo, resident alcoholic. And hopefully, he'll find a similar person in the bars littered around Konoha.

Sasuke's first – and hopefully only – stop is Konoha's most famous bar. The tavern had been opened only a few months after Konoha itself was founded – a fact which it liked to boast proudly on a glittering sign outside. Due to its prime location and famous visitors throughout history – all Hokages included – it is the only bar that tourists from around the world are able to name.

If Tazuna is anywhere in Konoha today, he's in that exact bar getting drunk.

Sasuke had been checking regularly for the bridge builder, looking for when he could ask for a C-rank mission. Lately all they've been doing is meaningless village drivel, even though Sasuke knows for a fact that Team 7 is definitely ready to upgrade. He can see it, Kakashi can see it, hell probably even Naruto from last time around would be able to see it.

Sasuke begins to swagger his walk as he approaches the bar, making sure his coin pouch is clearly visible and jiggling. The chuunin guard outside the bar takes one look at his henged character and lets him in, not even bothering to ask for ID.

_Good, _Sasuke thinks, because he hadn't prepared any.

His eyes scan the crowd, looking for that unruly patch of grey hair he hasn't seen in a _long _time. His eyes catch the sight at the bar – no surprise – and Tazuna looks almost exactly as he did the first time Sasuke had seen him.

Sasuke quickly hurries over to the bar, eyeing the bridge builder – his cheeks are flushed, he has a bottle in one hand and his iconic straw hat is hanging loosely around his neck.

The bartender gives him a charming smile – a mid-twenties civvie.

"What can I get for you?" he grins as Sasuke slumps to a stop into the stool next to Tazuna.

"Sake," Sasuke grumbles, "A whole bottle 'f it."

The bartender shrugs and pulls out a bottle, Sasuke clumsily dumping the money onto the stand. Next to him Tazuna eyes his newly filled bottle and Sasuke takes in his empty coin pouch and nearly drained bottle.

"Hey," Sasuke grunts.

"Yooo," Tazuna winces back dizzily. "What troubles 'reyou drowning away?"

Sasuke shrugs, taking a swig of his sake.

"Only- only people with _troubles _get _bottles. Ha!"_

Sasuke takes the opportunity to pounce. "What troubles 'reyou drowning?"

"I got it!" Tazuna says suddenly before leaning in close to Sasuke. He can smell the strong scent of alcohol on his breath, coupled with the faint stench of tobacco.

"Friend troubles," Tazuna whispers before shooting back, laughing raucously. The bartender winces – Tazuna is grating, especially this time in the morning in the near empty bar.

"No," Sasuke says quickly. "Anyway what about you? You don't look like a local."

"Yeah 'm not. 'm from Waaave." Tazuna pauses before waving his bottle in front of Sasuke. "You know what? I bet you two boys are fighting over a girl, 'mright? But heeeey – bros before- before hoes!" He hiccups, then giggles.

"So what are you doing here all the way from Wave?" Sasuke asks quickly, trying to steer the conversation back to the bridge builder to see if he's submitted the mission request yet.

Tazuna peers at him closely before nodding sagely. "No no no. Not girl troubles. But a girl's definitely in there somewhere. _I can see it! _Come on mate, tell me, tell your old man Tazuna."

Sasuke clenches his teeth. Perhaps it'd just be easier to get it over and done with.

"I hurt them alright?" He grits out.

"And you don't think they'll forgive you," Tazuna notes. "And you're probably right! Ha! But you'll never know if you don't try, 'm I, 'm I, 'm I right?"

"_So Wave_," Sasuke emphasises forcefully. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh," Tazuna says. "Just this morning I talked to the 'kage. Escort, stuff, I dunno. I dun remember the official stuff. So about your friends-"

"I gotta go," Sasuke says quickly. "I have things to do."

Tazuna waves his bottle at him but placates immediately when Sasuke leaves his own behind.

Sasuke quickly walks out the bar, dropping his henge in the crowds. He'd always hated that old man but at least now he's confirmed that the mission is ready for Team 7 to take. Tazuna had always been annoying, in that typical way drunk people often are. Not to mention all the trouble he'd gotten their team in, and how he kept on trying to bring up Sakura and Naruto.

Sasuke quickly hurries into Konoha Markets, heading towards the fresh produce section. At that same moment a familiar chakra signature flitters into view and Sasuke groans. This is too much in one day. He quickly looks down at the floor and prays that the other familiar face at Konoha Markets won't recognise him.

Sasuke quickly grabs a cabbage and inspects it, making sure never to look in his direction-

"Oh hey! Sasuke!"

Sasuke grimaces before placing the cabbage back.

"Kakashi-sensei," he says tightly, gritting his teeth. "You're up early. I'm assuming that means you won't be late to our meeting?"

Their sensei smiles, eye crinkling. "Our meeting started half an hour ago. Yet you're _here."_

"Because I know, Naruto knows, and Sakura knows that you won't turn up for another hour and a half," Sasuke answers flatly. His eyes drop down to Kakashi's grocery bags where a few tomatoes peak out.

"You're grocery shopping too?" Kakashi grins, "I just finished."

"Good for you," Sasuke answers curtly.

"But it's alright. I'll accompany you, since you asked."

Sasuke twitches.

"You know," his sensei continues, "I've been meaning to talk to you."

Sasuke twitches again, handing over some money to the cabbage vendor before placing the cabbage in his bag.

"…really."

"Yep," Kakashi says happily. "It's about your team dynamic."

"…and you thought _I _would be the best person to consult about that. Rather than oh I don't know _Naruto. _Or even _Sakura."_

Kakashi shrugs. "Sure, you aren't the most forthcoming of people, but you know what they say about quiet people – they're always watching, observing. I reckon you see more than both of them."

"You most probably reckon wrong," Sasuke mumbles honestly.

"Anyway," Kakashi says brightly, "Care to enlighten me on _why? _A week ago I passed your team and all was fine and dandy. But _now, _all of you seem intent on just ignoring each other."

"We're not ignoring each other," Sasuke grits out, violently grabbing a carrot from a nearby store. He has a theory, alright, and it's a _delicate _process. Kakashi needs to stop interfering.

"Really?" Kakashi says brightly, _still following him around. _"Doesn't seem like that to me! I mean even Naruto is getting jumpy. At first when Sakura went all weird I just thought - you know, with girls that age starting-"

"Why."Sasuke hisses, "Are you _still _following me?" He violently shoves the carrot back before moving on to the fruit stands. He _cannot_ deal with two infuriating silver-haired men in _one_ day. Like seriously. Tazuna was enough.

"You're quite antagonistic today," Kakashi notes casually. "All of you have been for the past week. Strange. Shikaku told me you weren't that bad."

Sasuke takes a deep breath, trying to control his annoyance. He'd think that by now he'd be more than used to the constant pestering. But unfortunately it seems like twelve years away from the likes of Naruto and Sakura hounding him have diminished his control.

"Apologies," he grits out, "But I'm trying to finish my shopping. _And you're disturbing me._"

"What about a trade then?" Kakashi offers, "You give me some information, I'll teach you a technique."

Sasuke's hand pauses an inch away from the apple.

"What technique?" he asks cautiously.

Kakashi's smile drops, instead eyeing him steadily. "You already have something in mind."

Sasuke's head jerks in a nod.

"I want to learn the chidori."

"Impossible," Kakashi says immediately. "The technique is impossible to perform without-" he pauses, realising that he might've let something slip that the boy shouldn't know about.

"The sharingan, I already know," Sasuke says steadily. "You're Copy-nin Kakashi, you know over a thousand techniques. And I want to learn the chidori. Teach me the theory or something, and when I activate my sharingan I can use it."

And hopefully, that will be soon. Because today Sasuke is fully planning on raising the mission level to a C. It's time for _Wave._

"Alright then," Kakashi says, "It's a deal. Now tell me."

Sasuke pauses. He can't possibly say – oh, I time-travelled, and I think Naruto and Sakura _may – may – _have too.

So instead he goes for the version – the true version – of last time.

"Naruto likes Sakura," he says, "Like – he _like _likes her. But Sakura er- she likes me."

"No he doesn't and no she doesn't," Kakashi responds immediately.

Sasuke twitches. "Yes he does and yes _she _does. He likes her 'cause she's pretty. She likes me 'cause I'm pretty. There. Done. Finished. Capiche?"

"Very well," Kakashi says, "Wait here, I'll return in a second."

Sasuke frowns but his sensei disappears in a puff of smoke – the Body Flicker technique. For a second Sasuke reaches out, trying to grasp the elusive Shisui-

He recoils immediately, grimacing harshly. He has to remember – he can't let himself slip – that's _Kakashi _not – not _Shisui. _

Swallowing harshly, Sasuke quickly turns back to the apple vendor and purchases a bag. Now that he knows Wave can happen he can start preparing for the trip. Apples are always a must – Sakura used to insist they were the best for missions while Naruto hated the taste. So it'd always been a win-win for Sasuke – maintaining good health while watching Sakura trying to force the fruit down Naruto's throat.

"100 yen," the vendor demands.

Sasuke hands her the money just as Kakashi reappears beside him, causing a few of the civilians around to jolt in surprise.

Sasuke's gaze drops to the scroll, rises up to Kakashi, then back down to the scroll.

"What's this." Sasuke asks flatly.

"My part of the deal," Kakashi smiles. He hands Sasuke the scroll and Sasuke eyes his sensei suspiciously again before rolling it open.

"What do you think?" Kakashi smiles.

Sasuke twitches. Inside the scroll lies a crudely drawn stick figure with arrows randomly pointing everywhere, labelled 'chakra pathways'.

"That's the guide for you," Kakashi says, still smiling.

Sasuke grits his teeth. "This is a copout," he hisses, scroll crumpling under his hands.

"No," Kakashi says, leaning in with a smile, "_Yours _was a copout."

Sasuke scowls.

"Now," Kakashi says, "Why don't you run along now? After all, like you said, you still have an hour before I turn up. Go take your groceries home. I'll continue getting lost on the path of life, rescuing cats, helping grandmas… you know."

"Hn," Sasuke grunts as his sensei disappears in a puff of smoke.

_Goodness _Kakashi is annoying. But… but it is strange – strange how Naruto doesn't like Sakura this time around, and strange how she doesn't like _him _this time around.

Of course there's Hinata and everything, but then again he's been blaming Hinata for _everything. _And what had caused the pink-haired girl to flock to her in the first place? She had actively approached the Hyuuga, if he remembers correctly – and right as the heiress had been talking to _him _no less.

Sasuke tightens his grip on his grocery bags, turning around resolutely.

Mind still occupied, Sasuke moves around the markets instinctively. He purchases some three potatoes and a dozen eggs before stopping in front of the tomato stand and purchasing three. Then, he heads back home.

* * *

**Naruto**

Naruto knows what day it is.

He knows because yesterday he had just managed to avoid getting himself covered in cow dung. Last time around he hadn't been so lucky and that had been the catalyst in him asking for higher ranked missions – the request which had landed the team in Wave.

Of course despite the stress the mission had caused, it had ended up well enough. Naruto got a bridge named after him and Team 7 got an A-rank mission under their belt. Not to mention his spectacular failure with the Demon Brothers had been what'd inspired him to fight and never back down.

Except there was also one unforgettable by-product of the whole experience – Sasuke had gained his sharingan.

And as much as he loves his friend and all, Sasuke with a sharingan never bides good news.

Which means that this time he will resolutely _not _ask for a higher ranked mission. And hopefully without his loud pronouncements the idea won't enter Sasuke's head either, and thereby stop Sakura from agreeing too. Team 7 will be stuck doing more D-rank missions until Kakashi decides to put them up to a C.

_Kakashi. _

He knows that his sensei knows that Team 7 is better this time around. It's because with Naruto he time-travelled, with Sakura her association with Hinata made her more dedicated and with Sasuke the added support Shikaku provided meant that he was more open. Of course, that's the obvious answer – right?

But god forbid their sensei actually offer to bump them up to a C. _No,_ Naruto thinks quickly, shaking his head, Kakashi wouldn't. He's seen the horrors of sending the young out to fight too early and he won't do it to Team 7. Team Minato suffered enough and Kakashi doesn't want to put them all through that.

So all should be fine. Hopefully.

Perhaps preventing Sasuke from gaining the sharingan is inevitable but Naruto is determined to prolong it as long as he can. After all, it had been the famed and now extremely rare Uchiha dojutsu that had first attracted the attention of Orochimaru, and god knows Naruto does _not _want that whole fiasco happening again. He had failed with stopping the massacre but that had been decades in the making before he was born. This though – _this _he can stop.

Naruto drops down into Training Ground 3 at 9:50, a good hour and fifty minutes after Kakashi's mentioned meeting time. If all is right his sensei should turn up in another ten minutes or so.

Their whole team has definitely by now been smarter in their decisions. All three never turn up at the time their sensei picks – an hour and a half to two hours later are all good margins. Today Sasuke is already there, mindlessly tossing a kunai between his hands.

"Hey," Naruto greets.

Sasuke grunts.

Naruto pauses then turns to Sasuke. Does the hiraishin work on people? Probably not considering that the seal would be extremely hard to stabilise on the skin with the constant chakra flowing underneath.

But it'd be good to have something that he can use to teleport close to his teammates without their knowing. After all, knowing Team 7 they'll get into heaps of trouble no matter how much he tries to prevent it. If he can give instant support when needed it could make a lot of difference, especially now that there's no medic nin Sakura to rely on.

But where? Clothes they'll change, weapon pouches they'll upgrade. Their hitai-ite is an option but Naruto doesn't want to risk toppling onto them during teleportation – that would stuff them both up and be a double opening for the enemy.

He'll need to give something then, a weapon. A kunai or something, 'for last resorts only'. But then Kakashi would suspect something because those were the exact words that his father had used and he would know, or at least suspect that he'd completed the hiraishin. Of course, he'll pretend he has eventually but now is _too _soon and Naruto does not need the added suspicion after the Kurama stuffup.

Plus, there's nothing dangerous coming up – not if they avoid Wave. Not to mention even with all the D-rank missions he's been doing he's only saved up enough for two other custom made kunai. So he's got a solid four which is… still a puny supply. But he can afford to sacrifice one.

But to who? Sasuke or Sakura?

At this age…

Naruto looks up – Sakura's here.

"Sakura!" he says quickly.

His teammate looks up and greets him with a smile.

"I have something for you," Naruto says, pulling out one of his kunai – he's henged it to hide the seal but it the three prongs are still visible. Sakura eyes it carefully.

"Take it," he says, "A present."

"Wow Naruto uh- thanks," she says, slipping it into her pocket.

Next to him, Sasuke scowls.

"Lighten up teme," Naruto says, rolling his eyes, "You'll get one too. I just don't have enough money yet."

Sasuke ignores him, instead turning to Sakura.

"You changed your hair," Sasuke says stoically.

Naruto looks back at his teammate. It's true – her hair is shorter, near the same length as old-Sakura_. _The sight is way too familiar and way too out of place on this make-up laden Sakura in a pink dress.

"Sakura?" Naruto asks, cocking his head to the side, "Did you cut your hair?"

"Obviously," Sakura says, rolling her eyes. But there's a grin on her face as she flips her now shoulder-length hair. The action is so familiar that Naruto almost retches. "After the cow poo got in it yesterday I thought it was way too impractical for me so I chopped it off. Hinata-style!"

"It looks great!" Naruto smiles quickly. He feels his sensei's chakra flicker on behind him.

"Yes it does," Kakashi smiles. "Good choice Sakura."

The girl beams under her sensei's praise.

"What's our mission today?" Sasuke asks quickly, getting straight to the point as always.

Kakashi tosses the mission scroll up and down in his hand. "Since you all did such a good job with the cow dung last time, I thought it'd be appropriate for you to get a similar mission."

Sasuke twitches.

"The Hokage's been thinking, you know, that Konoha's sewerage system really needs a bit of an improvement-"

"I have something to say actually," Sasuke cuts in.

Kakashi's visible eye narrows almost imperceptibly. "Mm?"

"I think we should move onto a C-rank," Sasuke says smoothly.

Naruto freezes and next to him, Sakura tenses.

"No!" she says quickly.

Kakashi quirks an eyebrow. "No?"

"No," Sakura says, shaking her head. "I don't feel ready. Not at _all. _You know, being a civilian I'm still quite new to this world and I think it would be detrimental to my progress, especially mentally, to do missions of a higher rank. I know that other teams from our year haven't done so yet so I don't think it's necessary for us to do so. I'm definitely not ready for such advancement._"_

"Me too!" Naruto pipes up quickly. "Everything Sakura said – I second it."

Sasuke narrows his eyes. "That's bullshit and you both know it. We're all ready. We've been ready for a long time."

Sakura's mouth opens and closes before she whirls on their sensei. "Kakashi-sensei!" she says desperately.

Their sensei pauses and eyes the three of them carefully.

"You know," he says slowly. "I'm inclined to agree with Sasuke here."

Naruto and Sakura groan in unison.

"It's important not to dodge responsibility, especially as a ninja. And this will teach you that lesson. You see, Konoha operates on the basis that each individual completes their responsibility…"

Naruto's eye twitches. _Kakashi_ is lecturing them on responsibility, not to mention now they're on a straight track towards their first C-rank mission. Which will most probably be, knowing his luck, _Wave._

"…is that understood?" Kakashi says brightly.

"Yes sensei," the three murmur.

"Wonderful! Now, let's go on to see the Hokage, shall we?"

Kakashi turns onto the path to the Hokage Tower and his three genin trail after him.

Naruto resists the urge to do a typical Sasuke scowl, instead simply resigning himself to a sigh. In front of him, Sakura is marching with a determined look on her face, fist clenching and unclenching. Sasuke is in front of all of them, pleased smirk on his face.

Naruto sighs again and Sasuke glances back, gaze resting on him before he slows down.

He passes Sakura without any reaction and Naruto resists the urge to sigh again as his teammate falls into step next to him.

"Why were you so against it?" Sasuke whispers to him. "I know you're not the type to avoid responsibility, not when you want to become Hokage. So. Why."

Naruto snorts. Typical Sasuke – always demanding never asking.

"Sakura didn't wanna either," he points out, nodding at their teammate who is still continuing her silent tirade against the world.

"Yeah, well, she's Sakura," Sasuke says flippantly.

Naruto narrows his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sasuke shrugs. "Nothing. Just you know, at this age she's a bit-"

"Don't insult her," Naruto says firmly, adding quietly under his breath – "Not after what you've done."

Sasuke scowls silently at the floor before Naruto pauses, his step faltering.

"What do you mean 'at this age'?" he asks slowly.

Sasuke looks back at him sharply. "Nothing. Now answer my question."

Naruto frowns, jogging to catch up to the Uchiha. "What's it to you? Maybe I want to-"

"Clean the sewers?" Sasuke answers sceptically.

"You don't know me," Naruto says, affronted.

Sasuke simply smiles. "Whatever."

Naruto snorts. "Whatever."

Sakura looks back and eyes her two scowling teammates before sighing. She stops in her path and waits for the two to catch up before pushing in between them and linking her arm between theirs.

The sudden contact causes Naruto's mind to freeze. While they are teammates and have been in the same Academy class for eight years, this is the most they've ever touched. He's hyper aware of Sakura's elbow knocking against his as they walk and how her other elbow is probably doing the same with Sasuke.

As they arrive at the Hokage Tower, Naruto finally brings himself to smile. Team 7 are physically connected for the first time this time around, Sakura bridging the gap between the Will of Fire and the Curse of Hatred. A medic nin, always fixing things, gluing the three of them together. He was like the sun, Sasuke the moon and whenever they clashed there would be something celestial. Sakura was like the steady earth which bound them all together, influenced by Sasuke's tidal reach but basking in the sun's light.

Because he and Sasuke are too different. Too different yet too similar at the same time. Two sides of the same coin. They were their own metaphor in the future. Parents would say to two warring siblings – "You're just like the Hokage and his Head of ANBU." That used to make the kids happy. Then, inevitably of course, Sasuke screwed things up again and the phrase was never used again.

Sakura unlinks their arms so that they can all fit up the staircase to the Hokage Tower. Kakashi shuffles them all up first before following himself, closing the door behind them.

The Hokage doesn't look surprised at their presence but then again, he rarely looks surprised.

"Good morning Team 7," he smiles. Sakura practically glows at the fact the Hokage knows their team.

Sarutobi turns to him for a second and Naruto gives him a reassuring nod. He'd come to get his seal checked on by the person with the most knowledge on them – Ebizu, funnily enough – and he'd been cleared, especially when he explained the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Except the Hokage is still twitchy about it and Naruto has to come check up every so often to reassure him that _yes, _everything is still fine.

"Now," Sarutobi says friendlily, "what is it you all need?"

Naruto and Sakura stay obstinately silent so Sasuke steps up.

"We would like to upgrade to a C-rank mission sir," Sasuke says politely. Naruto smiles – if the Uchiha actually worked on his political skills he'd be as good as a diplomat as Sakura. His charming looks would certainly help in the matter – god knows how many sleazy leaders made beneficial deals with Konoha because of Sakura's kunoichi charm.

Sarutobi eyes Kakashi and their sensei nods. "I agree."

"Well then," Sarutobi says, taking back their sewerage mission scroll from Kakashi, "Let's see what I have here."

Silently, Naruto prays – _not Wave not Wave not Wave not Wave-_

"It looks like there's been an infestation of wild boars on Kikui Mazami's property. He wants them to be culled but they're too powerful to be dealt with by a civilian. Pay will be 45000 yen split between the three of you. How does that sound?"

"Perfect!" Naruto says quickly as Sakura nods furiously.

"Actually," Sasuke says and Naruto groans. Next to him, Sakura grits her teeth.

"If you wouldn't mind, Hokage-sama," Sasuke says respectfully, "I would like to be given the chance to leave Konoha – if possible even Fire – as I won't be able to do so with my family, you understand. I would like to see more of the world."

Naruto sighs. Sasuke should _really _have gone into politics. He can already _see _the Hokage changing his mind.

"As a matter of fact," Sarutobi says, rifling through the mission scrolls, "There is an escort mission to Wave-"

"_No!" _Naruto and Sakura shout in unison.

Sarutobi raises an eyebrow and Kakashi hastily steps forward.

"My apologies for their insolence Hokage-sama," he says, both hands clamping on top of Naruto and Sakura's head harshly. "They will not interrupt you again. _Am I right?"_

"…yes sir," he and Sakura mutter quietly.

"Good," Kakashi grins, but Naruto is positively dying inside. "I hope I won't have to give you _another _lecture on avoiding duty."

Naruto finally gives in and scowls.

"Well, Wave it is then," Sarutobi says, ignoring the petulant looks of Naruto and Sakura. He hands the scroll to Kakashi and gives Sasuke an encouraging smile. "Payment is 60000 yen."

"Thanks," Kakashi says as he grasps the scroll. Naruto feels as if his fate is being sealed.

"Now," the Hokage says, turning to Sasuke. "Even though you have been given the opportunity to travel outside Konoha you are by no means to treat this mission as a holiday, you understand? The body guarding process is a very important one and it is _not _to be treated lightly."

"Of course sir," Sasuke nods.

Naruto twitches. _It's not the end of the world, _he tells himself, _there are other ways I can prevent it. Don't let me or Sakura get into a deadly situation. Keep Sasuke safe from all the fighting. Just, I don't know, somehow stop Zabuza before-_

Naruto freezes.

_That's perfect! _

If he can get to Zabuza and Haku first, maybe knock them out or something, just get Tazuna to safety and then leave-

But he can't do that. He can't just leave Tazuna by himself with Zabuza and Haku after him, but he can't take out Zabuza and Haku either. But Zabuza and Haku will always be after Tazuna unless- _unless he takes out Gato._

Naruto grins.

_Not bad_, he thinks to himself, _not bad at all. _

* * *

**Sakura**

Sakura feels cold to the core despite the fact that it's almost perpetually warm in Konoha.

_You can't let this phase you, _she thinks. _Nothing is ever as hopeless as it seems. I can fix this. _This isn't the end of the world – _though it might lead to it_, her subconscious adds bitterly.

So what if they're going to Wave? At least she knows what's going to happen clearly – there'll be the Demon Brothers, Kakashi will threaten Tazuna and he'll tell the truth, Team 7 will go on – she can try to protest that even if she doubts it'll work, especially with Kakashi's talk on avoiding duty blah blah blah. After that it's the fight with Zabuza and their sensei will reveal his sharingan. And then after that – _ha. _More problems with Zabuza.

"Yes sir!" the enthusiastic chuunin says to the Hokage. Sakura sighs one last time as he disappears to fetch Tazuna.

She had been so sure that she could avoid Wave – first, chance had been on her side. Because honestly, what was the chance that the _exact same mission _would be given to them? Especially with all the changes this time around with Naruto and the kyuubi. Second, she had that whole speech about feeling weak etc. to rely on. But the bastard Sasuke had pulled the dead family card.

But alas, it had happened and she'll have to deal with it. _Think logically, _she thinks, _what would Haruno Sakura Root Commander have done?_

_Logically, _Sakura emphasises.

She closes her eyes, ignoring Sasuke's pleased smirk and Naruto's nervous fidgeting. So the problem here is – obviously – Sasuke ultimately gaining the weapon which will destroy the world. To put it lightly. And that problem stemmed from the fact that he'd seen Naruto 'die'.

Sakura winces – the obvious Root answer would have been to kill Naruto before Sasuke could see it but that's _obviously _out of the question. She has to dig deeper. Okay, so no killing Naruto. What's the other option?

Destroy the whole premise of the problem – _Zabuza and Haku. _

If she can just neutralise the threat before it becomes a problem then – voila. Gato may send other mercenaries to try to stop them but seriously – Zabuza and Haku are the best he has and no one else he sends stands a chance, either against Kakashi or herself if it ever comes to that.

Except… Zabuza and Haku are powerful. _Exceedingly _so. And though she herself is as well, and has been training this time around more for the field than as backup, she doesn't know if she can handle them both. They're both confrontational ninja, big power hitters like Naruto and Sasuke. But she's better at those underhanded tactics – poison, infiltration and reconnaissance, subterfuge. She has her big hitters for emergency situations but the fact remains that she's more of a sideliner than a front hitter.

So… poison? But they'll both need some strong ones and the materials in those are hard to come by. She could hit them with the strongest she has then attack while they're weak.

Sakura steels herself. She should just go for it – she's _strong_. She's taken down Akatsuki, she's _Team 7 _for goodness sake. She needs to stop doubting herself – all these teenage hormones are making her insecure.

But is it insecurity or reality?

Sakura hisses, ignoring the looks her two teammates send her.

The fact of the matter is that she hasn't been in a real combat situation since she's died – all the things she's achieved this time around have been achieved through subtle subterfuge, using other Agents to do her work. First, there was the Hyuuga, then she'd used Danzou to stop the massacre. She'd also stood by doing nothing in the bell test – her only real 'fight' this time around had been the confrontation against Danzou and he'd been buried neck-deep in mud.

It all comes down to the fact that Sakura hasn't had an opportunity to _let go _and not hold back, not worry about other people finding out her secret. But now that she has the chance to do so, she's not sure if she still has the skills she had before.

Sakura sighs again and turns her gaze to the door. She can sense the chuunin returning with a muted chakra signature by his side – that of a civilian's. Tazuna.

As per last time – she doesn't know why she expected anything different – Tazuna opens the door with a bottle of sake in one hand and his travel pack on his back, cheeks healthily flushed from the alcohol.

He leans against the door and immediately his gaze falls on Naruto.

"Hey, are you sure this little squirt with the idiot face is a ninja?" he asks the Hokage, waving his bottle in Naruto's face.

Almost in unison, the other members of Team 7 wince, waiting for his outburst.

Instead Naruto simply eyes Tazuna steadily. "Of course I am," he says quietly. "Who says a little squirt can't be one? You obviously haven't met the people I have."

Tazuna narrows his eyes at the blonde.

"I don't like you," he says flatly.

"Introductions," Sarutobi cuts in smoothly. "This is Tazuna-san, a master bridge builder from Wave. Your escorts will be Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke and their sensei Hatake Kakashi."

The bridge builder grunts.

Kakashi smiles bemusedly. "As per custom, the payment for this C-rank will be 60000 yen. That's 30000 upfront please Tazuna-san."

The bridge builder grumbles and reaches into his pocket, pulling out the money and handing it to the Hokage.

"There," he says gruffly. "You get the rest when you complete the mission."

"Of course," Kakashi nods. He turns to his team. "I'll see you three in an hour at the front gate. Wave is close so, should no interruptions occur, it'll take us one day to get there. That's two there and back but pack for three days travel just in case. Clear?"

Team 7 nods. "Yes sir!"

Sakura frowns determinedly – that gives her an hour to gather the supplies for her poisons. Kakashi dismisses them with a wave and immediately Sakura heads down the stairs, disregarding her teammates.

Her first stop is her house – she's already got herbs in bulk hidden in her room, hidden in sealed bags in a panel behind her dresser. The smells from some of the more pungent ones she'd covered with sprays of perfume.

She's got all the ingredients already, luckily – just for situations like these. Except the only problem is that she might need more for someone with a sturdy physique like Zabuza. After all, that sword is immensely heavy but he'd managed to carry it with no problems at all. At least her parents are still out fishing.

Once she's a good distance away from the Hokage Tower Sakura shunshin's back to her house, immediately unlocking the door and running up to her room. She shoves the dresser away carelessly and pries open the panel behind it, revealing mass supplies of different herbs, labelled with permanent marker in clear zip-lock bags.

She wants to make three poisons for two different scenarios – if Haku and Zabuza are separate when she finds them she'll use the poison she'd used on the sensor nin during the Scroll of Sealing fiasco – that way she can take care of Zabuza without Haku's sensing them, and then take care of the apprentice afterwards. This is her preferred scenario by a very significant margin – together the duo will be extremely hard to take out but separately she can utilise the surprise element a lot better.

The last two poisons are more standard – one slowly paralysing one for Zabuza and a chakra disrupter for Haku. They're both effective poisons but they need to be inserted directly into the bloodstream.

Sakura quickly grabs her latex gloves and slips them on – she can't contaminate the samples or they'll become less effective. Then she grabs the mortar and pestle she had hidden in her makeup bag and slips in the required amount of herbs.

Wiping some sweat off her forehead Sakura sets to work, crushing the poisons to paste.

"Come on," she mutters to herself, "You can do this."

Behind her the clock is slowly ticking away, counting down like a bomb.

"_Done," _Sakura hisses triumphantly, fifteen minutes before her team is due to meet.

She quickly grabs her senbon and coats them all in the poison before delicately wrapping them in tissue paper, slipping them into a special compartment in her weapons pouch. She feels Naruto's present there and shrugs. It's strange but she's not one to question free gifts, even if she'll probably never end up using them. She's had no training with three pronged kunai but she knows they're sentimental to Naruto – memories of his father – so she'll keep it with her for him.

She spends the next five minutes randomly throwing supplies in her bag – toiletries, change of clothes and snacks before shunshin'ing a good distance towards the Konoha front gates.

Taking a few moments to steady her breathing, Sakura smooths out her hair and clothes, making sure all evidence of her hastiness has disappeared.

Then she walks the two minutes to the front gate calmly, smiling friendlily at the Konoha vendors littered along the path.

Sakura is the first to the gate and when Naruto arrives a few minutes later he grins at her and says,

"Sakura-chan! Early as always eh?"

Sakura smiles and flips her hair.

"Of course," she says snootily, "And looking impeccable all the while."

Naruto chuckles and Sakura's glad to see that this time around there's no sign of his crush on her. Which is strange considering she finds this version of her much more bearable than the Sasuke-obsessed one last time. She's also even picking up some of Hinata's traits which objectively looking at now, he should be _more _attracted to.

Not that she wants him to crush on her – that and her crush on Sasuke were some things that had stopped Team 7 from truly bonding. But it's still strange, for sure.

Sakura looks up – Sasuke is walking towards them with a smirk on his face, different from his perpetual scowl. But the sight of him reminds her immediately of her upcoming task and she frowns.

"Look," Naruto chuckles, "It's the teme."

Sakura is still pissed at Sasuke so she doesn't bother correcting her teammate.

"Yo!" Naruto waves. Sasuke looks up and nods at the two of them.

As he continues down the path Sakura spots Kakashi and Tazuna walking towards them behind him. A glance at the sun confirms that for once, Kakashi is only ten minutes late.

"Good job sensei," Naruto jokes, "Only ten minutes late."

"I don't know what you're talking about," their sensei says innocently, waving his hand dismissively. "Now, why don't we head off?"

Sakura sighs in defeat but Sasuke smirks.

"Let's," he grins.

* * *

**AN:** SPOILERS! LOOK AWAY IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW! For all those people who were wondering whether or not the reveal will happen I can confirm that yes it will and it will happen during the Wave arc. Like really soon. Because I keep getting questions on that so yeah, just clearing the air.

END SPOILERS. Sorry guys just had to answer the big question that was floating around. Anyways, thanks to all who reviewed - **Illuminated, the Hate Child, Suzululu4moe, ennui deMorte, Bananarock509, usaginekohime, hiraikoneko, peachycupcake, depressedchildren, kaed1234, Enigma infinite, soul, Corpj123, Lonely Athena, zigmas, Lamelinam, skipbeataddict,** **Guest** and **paper wind**.

Hope you liked this chap, get excited for the next one and leave a comment if you have any thoughts :)


	13. Wave - II

**AN: **Sorry for taking a bit longer this time but this is the longest chapter so far. I guess you'll see why in a bit :)

* * *

_**Wave - II**_

* * *

**Sasuke **

Sasuke can't stop the smile that lights his face, barely managing to school it into an acceptable Uchiha smirk.

The sharingan is within reach, just beyond his fingertips. The idea that his biggest weapon is so close to being 'activated' has banished all other thoughts from his head – this event, this is what really catapults Team 7 into action. His sharingan awakening will attract the attention of Orochimaru, then he 'll cooperate with the snake sannin, with Sand and-

_Konoha will fall._

There'll be no need to pretend by then – the village will drown in Amaterasu. _This _village will drown in Amaterasu. Perhaps because this is the only Konoha he could do it to – if it had been the one in the previous one he would've had already too many bonds for him to do it effectively.

But this time there's nothing to lose. After the death of his whole family the only real people he had left were Sakura and Naruto, but these versions are mere imitations, failures, _shadows _of the _great _people he had known once upon a time. Shikamaru, Chouji and even Shikaku will be a loss but… he'll get over it. Hopefully.

Sasuke clenches his fist. He is ready to take on the world.

"Seriously," Naruto mutters next to him, "I know you're excited and all for your holiday but can you tone it down just a bit? I mean we're like half an hour outside Konoha. This isn't even considered outside territory yet."

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "You wouldn't understand Naruto."

"See _how,"_ Naruto sighs, throwing his hands in the air, "did I know, you were going to say that?"

"Because he's Sasuke?" Sakura pipes up from in front.

"No bullying in this team," Kakashi says absentmindedly. Tazuna is still staring at them all with distrust.

"Are… are you _sure _they can be of, uh, adequate protection?" he nudges Kakashi.

"Of course," Kakashi reassures him flippantly.

"Actually," Sakura pipes up, "we're only twelve and have just graduated from the Academy. This is our first mission of this rank. What we're _really _experienced in is raking leaves and stuff. I'm actually feeling super unready for this but you know what? All we have to do is look out for bandits so you'll be fine."

Tazuna swallows nervously.

"But seriously you don't have to worry," Naruto adds, "Our sensei will make sure we do our job. Because he's real lazy and doesn't like doing the work."

Sasuke smirks. His teammates have probably just inadvertently made the bridge builder _much _more nervous – after all, he's being guarded by three inexperienced, blundering genin with a sensei who apparently won't do any work. But Sasuke's content not to correct his misconceptions, even if their accusations drag him down as well – the bridge builder had caused them enough trouble last time and Sasuke's happy to let him sweat for a few more moments.

In the meantime, he glances up at the sun – they've only been walking for half an hour but he can't remember at which point the puddle appeared. Which means he could be spending anywhere from a minute to _hours _with his two teammates that keep on trying to make small talk.

"How's Hinata going?" Naruto asks, and Sasuke nearly sighs in relief – this time Sakura is the target of Naruto's constant need to talk.

"She's dealing as well as she can. The Hyuuga aren't the most supportive of clans, you know?"

"Yeah," Naruto winces, "I know."

Sasuke's head perks up in interest. "What happened?"

Sakura shoots him a derogatory look before covering it up quickly. "An elder of the clan died."

Sasuke's smirk drops for a second before he brings it back full force. That statement had brought him back to Elder Mako and the family conversations around the dinner table. A political time, but also a _family _time.

With a family no longer with him. Just like they hadn't been with him last time, just like his two teammates _died _because really he killed them didn't he and why did he do that and why did he let his mind be polluted but isn't it being polluted now he needs to save them but he can't _he can't_-

"Sasuke," Naruto says sharply. "Are you alright?"

Sasuke snaps out of his reverie.

"Fine," he says quickly, pushing ahead passed his two teammates. "Fine."

"Nutters," he hears Tazuna mutter. "All of 'em."

Sasuke turns his glare onto the bridge builder – a glare he's mustered through thousand years of hate – and the bridge builder winces and turns away, reaching back for his bottle.

"Sakura?" Kakashi calls from behind, "Are we still going the right way?"

His teammate doesn't even bother checking the map, simply answering back confidently – "Yes."

And they are. Because Sasuke knows this route clearly – he's walked it as a twelve year old, and as a fighter in the war. And you never forget where you go during the war.

Tazuna falls back till he's in line with Kakashi and Sasuke perks his hearing, listening into their conversation.

"How can you trust her to navigate?" he mutters to their sensei.

"But we are, aren't we?" Kakashi counters. "Going the right way?"

"Well, yes but-"

Kakashi cocks an eyebrow and the bridge builder scowls, taking another swig of his bottle. Sasuke smirks – Kakashi's not so bad after all.

And then Sasuke spots the reflection of the afternoon sun glinting in the distance. Glinting off a puddle, contrasted starkly against the clear blue sky.

So it's time then – Kakashi will fake his death, Sakura will guard Tazuna, he'll take care of the brothers and Naruto will just stand around being useless. Funny how people change, he supposes.

He takes a glance back and notices a slight change in Kakashi's demeanour – their sensei seems to have noticed the abnormality too.

"Hey," Naruto asks, drawing their sensei's attention away from the puddle, "Are there ninja in Wave?"

"No," Kakashi says, shaking his head. "On a small island such as Wave ninja aren't needed. But…"

Kakashi launches into the Five Shinobi Countries explanation, same as last time. Sasuke sighs and tunes out – it shows how bad Konoha's education system really is how they're only learning this now. Lucky for him he'd had his clan's background but for people like Naruto and Sakura he supposes that it was inevitable they were left behind. Not to mention Naruto's crazy reserves and Sakura's perfect chakra control – honestly those traits had so much _potential _but Konoha is just a _dud. _

"…but you won't have to worry because you won't run into any foreign ninja on a mission like this. Wave borders Fire so we won't be treading foreign territory."

Sasuke suppresses a snort. Well that comment backfired. Already Tazuna is nervously rubbing the back of his head, averting his eyes. But still – if the three of them had been a team in a country like Kiri by the time they were all twelve they would've already been in the Bingo books.

The puddle draws nearer and all of them pass it without incidence.

By the time they're ten steps away Sasuke senses chakra signatures rising from the pool and Kakashi glances back casually.

_Three… two… one._

Chains shoot passed the group and Tazuna shouts in surprise.

"_First one," _the Demon brothers hiss from behind and immediately the chains wrap around Kakashi. Their sensei feigns a look of terror before the chains tighten and his body is ripped apart. Sakura screeches.

"_Second one," _the brothers hiss, reappearing behind Naruto like he knew they would.

Sasuke reaches for two kunai as the chains begin to shoot out, ready to step in if, like last time, Naruto stands there too horrified to do anything.

But Naruto has two kunai in his hands in a flash and ducks down. The chains immediately swerve downwards, following his path but Naruto throws the two kunai back at the Brothers, catching each in the wrist.

With a hiss the chains shoot back, the blood dripping from their wrists, but before they can retract completely Naruto grabs both and yanks, detaching the two weapons from their arms.

…_not bad, _Sasuke appraises.

The Brothers scowl and one splits off, heading towards Tazuna while the other continues its rampage on Naruto.

Immediately, Sasuke turns to Sakura – Naruto seems competent enough to handle himself for the time being.

The brother's hand shoots out towards Tazuna, this time opting for claws rather than chains. Sasuke leans forward, kunai spinning in his hand as he readies himself to jump in front of the bridge builder.

But then Sakura appears in front of Tazuna and, without even reaching for her kunai pouch, lunges forward. With strength he didn't know she had she grabs the claw and yanks him down. In a flash she pulls out a kunai and the Brother falls right into the path of the weapon.

He jerks up, eyes bulging before blood bubbles at his mouth.

_Huh, _Sasuke thinks.

He looks back to Naruto – the blonde has the other brother's wrists already chained with his own chains. Meanwhile, Sakura pushes the second brother to the ground and grabs some of her medical gauze, using that material to bind his hands together.

Sasuke pockets his kunai.

_Not ready for a C-rank my ass, _Sasuke thinks. _They're ready. _

_Almost… too ready. _

Because there had been something wrong with that display. Something too wrong. Sure, their skill levels are somewhat believable for this age, so it shouldn't really be suspicious. But he knows what happened last time around and this is-

_Too different. _

Their sensei takes this moment to reappear.

"Hey," he says casually.

"You're not dead," Sakura shouts in surprise.

"Yeah," he shrugs. "I wanted to see how you'd all do in your first combat situation."

Sakura begins to twitch. "I can't believe you did that. That was mentally scarring."

Kakashi smiles, eye creasing. "I doubt that."

"Sakura's right!" Naruto quickly adds, jumping next to his teammate supportively. "That was actually really mentally scarring for me!"

"But you guys did a good job," Kakashi says, grabbing the two bound brothers, one under each arm. "Naruto, you managed to fight back in your first battle and effectively too. Sakura, you stuck to protecting Tazuna and neutralised the threat quickly and efficiently. Sasuke, you were ready to jump in at any needed moment. Overall, I'm quite impressed, though admittedly I thought the opposite was going to happen."

"Well," Naruto says, turning his nose up, "It's not my fault that they decided to go after me first."

"That's because you look weak," Sasuke grunts.

Naruto grins ferally. "Wanna test that out?"

"_Boys," _Sakura growls warningly.

Put out, Naruto turns to Tazuna instead. "See? Now who can't protect who huh?"

"Actually," Kakashi interrupts, "Speaking of Tazuna… Tazuna?"

The bridge builder gulps nervously. "Yes?"

Kakashi smiles threateningly. "I need to talk to you. But first…"

Kakashi brings the two missing ninja to the tree and begins tying them up.

"Hey wait," Naruto says, peering closer. "This one's bleeding pretty bad."

Kakashi leans down and eyes Sakura's victim. "It looks like you gutted him pretty good Sakura. We might have to bandage him. But I suppose it's positive in a way – they're the Demon Brothers from Mist, chuunin. They're known to keep fighting no matter the cost."

"Right," Sakura says awkwardly before she begins to twiddle her thumbs. "Sorry."

"Another inch and you'd have killed him," Sasuke notes carefully.

Sakura clears her throat and turns away. "Can I be excused? The blood is making me a bit… queasy."

Sasuke frowns – blood's never made Sakura queasy before – it can't, not in her line of work. And this time Sakura seems to be stronger so he can't see _why_.

Kakashi turns and places a comforting hand on her head. "I know this is hard but it's too dangerous at the moment. You see, I didn't pretend just to be dead because I wanted to test you three. I also needed to see who the target was…"

He turns to Tazuna and the bridge builder winces.

"And it turns out that for some reason, the ninja were after _you. _Your mission request was protection against armed groups like robbers or gangs while you completed the bridge. This though – this is at least a B-rank mission, maybe even A. Care to explain?"

Tazuna sighs, placing his bottle down on the ground in defeat. "Like you said – if ninja had been your enemy, this would have been an expensive B or A-rank. I can't afford that. You see, Wave has been overtaken by a shipping magnate Gato and he's effectively bankrupted everyone in the country! The only way we can revitalise Wave is by building a bridge to the mainland."

"That would render Gato's shipping monopoly moot," Sakura deduces. "That's why he's trying to stop you."

Tazuna nods with a heavy sigh. "You guys found me out. So… I suppose this is it then?"

"No!" Naruto says immediately. "Of course not! We have to go on with this mission – Tazuna is important! We just can't leave the people in Wave without help!"

"I agree," Sasuke says quickly. "We have to go on."

Kakashi turns to Sakura but the third member of the team stays staunchly silent.

"I too agree," their sensei says and Tazuna lets out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Sasuke's lips turn up in a feral smirk – this is his time._ The sharingan will be his. _

* * *

**Naruto**

Naruto hands the washed bento boxes to their sensei.

"Goodnight Naruto," Kakashi nods.

Naruto smiles back before glancing around the campsite. They had opted out of a fire considering the new threat meaning that now the place is only illuminated by moonlight. Tazuna's tent is set up in the middle, surrounded by theirs. Except they're all strangely empty.

"Where's Sasuke 'n Sakura?"

"Sakura needed to go to the bathroom," Kakashi shrugs. "And with the new threats out there I thought it'd be better if she didn't go alone."

"Right," Naruto nods. "So you sent Sasuke."

Probably not the best idea but, well, Kakashi doesn't know that. And maybe he's right – at this age, at least. But both their chakra signatures are within range and even if he can't sense them Sakura's got his hiraishin kunai on her.

Content to sit and sharpen his kunai, Naruto watches his teammate's signatures. It's always been a comfort for him to feel them – during times of trouble they all had to constantly suppress their chakra. For him, unmasked chakra signatures means safety, peace.

Sakura's signature begins to move faster away from Sasuke's, no doubt finding a nice bush.

Then suddenly her signature disappears.

In front of him, Kakashi tenses.

Shakily, Naruto pockets his kunai before swallowing harshly. _What's happening?_

And then he hears Sasuke call – _"Kakashi-sensei!"_

Immediately Kakashi stands up, and flying towards his kunai pouch. But then his eyes turn to Tazuna's tent and he frowns.

Gritting his teeth, his sensei rushes into Tazuna's tent. Naruto digs his nails into his palms – he has to go out there – see what's happened – but he can't just _leave_-

Oh what the hell it's _Sakura _of course he can leave.

Mentally uttering an apology to Kakashi Naruto shoots off in Sasuke's direction, hands itching to clasp the hiraishin seal and rush to her.

When he gets there, Sasuke's standing in the middle of the forest path, eyes frenzied.

"Where's Sakura?" Naruto breathes.

Sasuke clenches his jaw. "I don't know."

Naruto hisses, eyes frantically scanning the forest. "What the _fuck?" _he swears. It's uncharacteristic of him – he knows that – but _Sakura – _he's about to lose her _again!_

A second later Kakashi appears next to him, carrying Tazuna on his back. Their sensei looks grim, but hopefully he'll be able to sense Sakura where Naruto can't.

But the steely look in his one visible eye and the ticking muscle in his jaw indicate to Naruto that _no. _Their all-knowing sensei has no idea where she's gone.

Suddenly it's like he can't breathe – his hands are shaking and his vision is blurring but all he can think about is _Sakura _in the woods with _Zabuza and Haku and all of Gato's thugs-_

"I've got it," he says quietly, vision clearing.

"What-" Kakashi begins, but Naruto cuts him off.

"I'm going after her," Naruto whispers, and _screw_ Kakashi if he sees him use the hiraishin – this is – _Sakura _is on the line. Because she may be powerful but with people like freakin' _Zabuza _running around-

He disappears in a yellow flash and the ground crumbles away. He feels the pull of the hidden seal on Sakura's kunai, the pull of _Sakura-_

The air hits his lungs again in a sudden blast and he reappears, toppling right on top of his teammate.

"What the _fuck-" _Sakura hisses. But then they're both tumbling and Naruto's on top of her – he knew this would happen with the kunai in her pocket but it doesn't matter because she's safe she's _safe-_

His head crashes into a table. Stars blind his vision before he sees the vase topple from the table and onto the ground.

It hits the ground in a harsh crack, echoing starkly against the silence.

For a second there's silence before Naruto quickly scrambles away, looking around. He's in a _building – _grey walls, lone light swinging in the hallway – and Sakura is still lying slightly crushed on the floor. She's scowling for once, dishevelled still from the forest. Her eyes are on fire, glaring at him in surprise and hostility and unbridled fear.

"W-Where are we?" he whispers forlornly.

Sakura's eyes widen before narrowing quickly. "_Shut up-" _she hisses, but it's too late – footsteps clang and Naruto looks across her shoulder, down the hallway.

"Look what we have here," Zabuza curls, swinging Kubikiribocho out of its sheath. He leans on his sword and eyes the two genin, shark teeth grinning.

_Fuck, _Naruto thinks.

But then Sakura turns to him with a determined look on her face.

"Sorry 'bout this," she whispers, and then she reaches up with a chakra laden fist and _is she going to punch him-_

Naruto leaps to the side and her fist crashes against the wall. The structure grunts, then cracks.

"_What-" _Naruto begins but then Zabuza appears, knife at Sakura's throat.

Immediately he stills, whole body frozen in fear.

Sakura frowns in annoyance.

"Drop your weapons," Zabuza hisses.

"Don't do it Naruto," Sakura says quickly, "I can handle this-"

But the situation is too familiar for Naruto's liking and he drops his weapons pouch onto the floor.

"_What are you doing Naruto I said I can handle this-_"

Footsteps from behind him grab his arms and secures chakra restraints on his wrists, handcuffing him in the process.

Sakura frowns and twists in Zabuza's grasp, about to roundhouse kick the ninja-

Then Naruto feels a blade at his own throat.

Immediately Sakura freezes and Zabuza takes the opportunity to bind her down with her own chakra restraints, removing her weapons pouch.

"Take them to the cellar," Zabuza says, tossing Sakura at the ninja behind Naruto. The ninja catches the small girl with one hand and wrenches her along next to him.

He begins to drag them both down the hallway and Sakura twists to face him.

"Why did you do that?" Sakura she hisses to him. "I said I can handle it!"

"Well," he hisses back, "forgive me for not trusting you Miss 'Fresh out of the Academy I'm not ready!'"

"Look, I'm not who you think I am," Sakura says quickly.

"And _I'm _not who _you _think _I_ am," Naruto counters.

Sakura frowns and opens her mouth before the ninja clubs them both on the head. "No talking," he grits.

Naruto frowns but keeps silent. He just has to wait until the ninja leaves them both alone then he can get Sakura out. There'll be explaining to do afterwards but getting them both out safe is his top priority.

Wait a minute.

_Sakura _needs to do some explaining.

What had she been doing here?

Why was she about to punch him?

With _Tsunade's _technique?

Her friendship with Hinata explains some of her weird habits but not these – no, these go _way _beyond 'normal'.

Next to him Sakura's got a concentrated look on her face, no doubt trying to memorise the way out of the cellars. Good thing because he hadn't thought to do so until just then. At least they'll get out – when the ninja leaves he can destroy his chains and then do Sakura's and bust them both out here. Granted she'll have questions but he can just make up some Kurama excuse – that usually works for anything abnormal he does. And then he can quiz _her._

Sakura keeps shooting him strange looks and he sends them back before the ninja pushes them down a flight of stairs.

"Stay put," the ninja grunts, pulling out a rusty key and unlocking the steel door at the bottom of the stairs.

Naruto frowns – the room seems to be a cellar, or a makeshift prison at the least. The ninja swings open the door and his guess is confirmed. The room is small with small piles of straw gathered around and the walls are tacked with metal clips.

Sakura coughs, overwhelmed by the dust and the smell of rusting metal.

The ninja grabs her by the hair and shoves her inside. Naruto bites his lip to stop himself from calling out before the ninja shoves him inside too.

He attaches both their restraints to the clips against the wall before sneering one last time again and leaving them both, slamming the door shut.

Immediately the room goes pitch black, robbed of its only source of light. Naruto hears the small click of the lock, followed by the bolting of the door.

For a second there is silence. Then-

"Naruto-"

"Sakura-"

Another second of silence.

"Sakura-"

"Naruto-"

Naruto flushes, even if Sakura can't see in the darkness.

"I believe," Sakura finally says, "I saw a… uh… yellow flash. Was I… mistaken?"

"Um-" Naruto begins before Sakura cuts in again.

"I just- I was thinking- you know, with that kunai you gave me. It had three prongs and everything, kinda like your dad's you know and it's uh- it's good and all- but you know it was uh- famous for being used for his hiraishin. And with the yellow flash and all- I know I'm probably wrong- but you have his scrolls right? Cause you found out he was your dad- but- it's still too fast for you to learn-"

"Sakura," Naruto says quickly, to stop her train of thought if nothing else. "You're rambling."

Even though he can't see anything he can almost feel the blush which is no doubt rising up her cheeks.

"Um. Yeah. Was it?"

Naruto's heart begins to race even faster in his chest and he swallows harshly, quickly trying to calm himself. "It was," he relents. "But the reason why I completed it so fast is because I uh- I worked on it. A lot. With the kage bunshin – they do this thing that accelerates your learning. Yeah. But Sakura – what- what were you doing here?"

Sakura clears her throat awkwardly and Naruto waits for her to continue but she doesn't.

He clenches his jaw, heart hammering all the way at the top of his throat in rhythmic pulses, lying in suffocating suspense but she _still _says staunchly silent.

"Please," Naruto finally whispers desperately. "I need – I _need _to know."

Sakura chuckles quietly but there's a touch of bitterness to the action. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

It's like someone has dropped a brick on his head. His whole body tenses and Naruto's breath catches in his lungs, waiting, stagnant.

"…are you going to tell me?" Naruto asks cautiously after a few beats of silence.

"…no."

"Does-" he says, swallowing harshly, "Does- does it have anything to do with your Tsunade-style punch?"

"What- what are you getting at?" Sakura says quickly, and Naruto feels so high his mind is working in colours.

"Sakura," he says quickly, desperately. "Does- does it have anything to do with why- why underneath all that niceness you don't like Sasuke. Why- why you survived my attack during the bell test when I am _so _positive it hit you. Why you thought my graduation story had gone differently. Why you didn't want to go on the C-rank. Why you acted during the Demon Brother's attack-"

"Well maybe," Sakura interrupts defensively, "it has something to do with why _you _just used hiraishin, why your seal is different this time around and why you know your mother's adamantine sealing chains! Maybe it has something to do with why underneath all _your _niceness you don't trust Sasuke _either_. Why you knew Kakashi would be late when I _know _Hinata didn't tell you. Why you snapped during the bell test. Why _you _didn't want to go on the C-rank and why _you _acted during the Demon Brother's attack too-!"

Naruto chokes.

"Oh my god," Sakura whispers.

Naruto gives up pretences and yanks at his restraints, breaking them apart. Then he blows a small fire jutsu – the same one he had used for the torch to that library all those years ago.

It illuminates the room and he sees Sakura, breathing raggedly, knows that he himself is breathing raggedly.

"Oh my god," Sakura whispers again.

Then she breaks the chakra restraints too and cautiously steps closer to the blonde.

"…Naruto?" she asks cautiously, "_Nanadaime Hokage-sama?"_

It's as if a huge weight has lifted off his shoulders, and even though they're in this stupid room in the middle of this stupid forest Naruto feels as if he's finally living, feeling, _flying. _

Naruto breaks out into a grin and tears begin to slip from his eyes. He blows his fire jutsu onto a small patch of straw in the corner, illuminating the room before Sakura leaps into his arms.

He clings to her hard, the feel of his teammate actually _alive _and _with him _again on this second chance, this _journey _and he's not alone – _he hasn't been alone this whole time! _Just _Sakura Sakura Sakura Sakura!_

He can feel her tears staining his shirt and Naruto chuckles, choked up on his tears.

"Look at this," he blubbers, "Root Commander Haruno Sakura _crying_. No one will believe me back h-home."

His voice cracks at the end and Sakura sobs harder, hands curling into the back of his orange jumpsuit.

"_God _Naruto _all this time – you baka! You didn't tell me!"_

"Hey!" Naruto mumbles, trying to seem affronted but he can't because he's just too _happy-_ "It wasn't all on me. Plus, what was I supposed to do? Say 'oh hey, I'm from the future' and give up all predictability? I couldn't do that – _you _taught me not to do that!"

Sakura wipes away her tears and steps back, surveying her future Hokage with a wobbly smile.

"Hey," Naruto jokes, "You got straw in your hair."

"You- you do too."

There's a moment of silence as he takes in Sakura – _his _Sakura – and then a smile breaks out, large, nostalgic, so goddamn _happy._

And then he's laughing and she is _too _and to Naruto it feels like release – all these secrets he has inside of him she does too and they understand each other like no one else does, like no one else ever will.

It's the bond that only Team 7 has.

"Holy shit," Sakura mumbles after their laughter finally bubbles down.

"Yeah," Naruto agrees, rubbing the back of his head.

"…wow," Sakura says again before stepping closer and surveying him with a medic's gaze.

"Hmm… you're taller than last time. Still a bit malnourished by the looks of it but… better." She leans back and grins. "Looking good Hokage-sama. But I'm still taller than you."

Naruto smiles rambunctiously. "We both know that won't be for long."

Sakura rolls her eyes and leaps into his arms again. Naruto holds her tight and closes his eyes, taking in the smell of _Sakura. _

"God," he mutters, "I'm not dreaming am I?"

"I hope not," Sakura replies and Naruto can feel the grin on her face.

She breaks apart from him and plops down onto the floor.

"Have a seat Hokage-sama," she grins, patting the spot next to her. "And let's talk."

Naruto grins, about to leap down next to her before he pauses, shooting a look at the door. "Uh- Sakura-chan? Hate to break it to you but we're prisoners of Zabuza's here y'know."

Sakura rolls her eyes but she can't stop the wide smile on her face. "I _know _Naruto. It's fine, I've got locks on everyone in this building. Plus, we won't be able to talk when we get back and we all know what a horrible actor you are – you'll give everything away!"

Naruto frowns but Sakura grabs his wrist and drags him down next to her.

"Where's your good old-fashioned trust in your teammate huh?" Sakura accuses.

Automatically a grin slips back onto Naruto's face. "Sorry _teammate_, you're absolutely right."

"I always am," Sakura agrees, eyes twinkling.

And it's like his chest is about to burst, expanding and filling with _new beginnings. _He could sit here and smile sillily at her for _hours. _

But then Sakura's eyes sober and her smile drops.

"I died, didn't I?" she asks quietly.

Immediately Naruto winces – the pain of her death is suddenly more acute now that she's standing in front of him in the flesh.

"…yeah."

Sakura leans forward. "It was Sasuke wasn't it?"

"…yeah. But Sakura he didn't mean to-"

"I don't want to hear it," she says coldly. "I'm just- I'm tired of all that. But that's why we're here this time around isn't it? To stop that from happening."

Naruto nods, too choked up to speak.

Then Sakura pauses. "But- but you're here too. Does that mean… you died as well?"

Naruto shakes his head quickly, grasping her hands in his. "I- I killed Sasuke. At your funeral. And I- I couldn't live with myself. In the end you both died because of me-"

"That's _not _true," Sakura cuts in resolutely.

"It was _my _idea to send you to guard the vaults-"

"But you didn't know that it was Sasuke who was after them," Sakura says comfortingly, even though it should be _him _that's comforting her. "You thought – and you were right – that I could handle anyone they threw at me. Even your clone was there. And I would've been able to. I can handle anyone. Just not- just not- _Sasuke."_

She rubs her thumb over his hands and smiles reassuringly.

"I- I'm sorry Sakura," Naruto whispers, but the feel of her hands on his is too much and the tears begin to well up again, hard and fast. The wounds are still too fresh – of how really he ended up killing Sakura and Sasuke both and he was all _alone-_

"Shh," Sakura comforts. "Let's talk about something else."

Naruto takes a shaky breath and wipes away his tears.

"You're right," he says determinedly. "Let's start from the beginning."

* * *

**Sakura**

"Well," Sakura muses, "I died first so I guess it was fate that I was born first."

She still has Naruto's hand in hers – she needs the constant touch to remind herself that _this is real. _That Naruto – _her _Naruto – is here with her.

"I knew that I had to get strong to prevent everything that happened from happening. And I mean, you had Kurama and Sasuke had the sharingan but everything I had I had to build from scratch. So I went after Hinata."

"That's kinda harsh Sakura," Naruto mumbles.

"I didn't mean it all that way," Sakura reassures. She knows how much the girl had meant to him in their past life and she would never hurt his memory that way. Not to mention the heiress had been _her _good friend as well. "I'm real friends with Hinata. I-I wouldn't use her that way."

"Yeah, I know," Naruto sighs, running a hand through her hair. "Sorry, I'm just a little touchy with her."

"I understand," Sakura says quietly. His doubts aren't too unfounded – especially after the war made her Root and manipulative. She knows that, and sometimes she hates it.

"I was wondering why you didn't end up with Ino like last time," Naruto chuckles, bringing her from her thoughts. "I was actually happy about it for a bit 'cause you were heaps less fangirly and stuff."

"Yeah," Sakura winces. "I must've been real bad last time."

"So you just trained with her?"

"No," Sakura says, shaking her head. "After the Hyuuga kidnapping I managed to convince the elders to train me as Hinata's bodyguard."

"But Neji-" Naruto begins.

"I told them that he'd hate her – which we both know ended up being true – and said I'd be more effective because we'd be together more."

"That's my girl," Naruto grins in that familiar way of his and Sakura nearly breaks.

"What about you?" she asks quickly. "What did you do almighty Hokage-sama?"

Naruto grins mischievously. "I raided the Hokage library."

Sakura snorts. Even after all this time, he hasn't change. It's familiarity that's _comforting _and so undeniably _Team 7. _

"That's the one you found out about during your Hokage training right?"

"Yep!" Naruto grins. "It was good for the basics and stuff but then I got Ebisu as my teacher. I also just stole a few scrolls here and there I thought'd be useful."

Sakura nods before pausing. "Wait – a few days after the Hyuuga kidnapping – that whole fiasco – was that _you?"_

Naruto chuckles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "…yeah."

"Baka," Sakura chastises.

"But Ebisu got me in shape pretty quick – he was actually pretty impressed."

"Wow," Sakura says, shaking her head. "I can't believe you voluntarily went to _Ebisu. _And that he was – _impressed."_

Perhaps he _is_ different this time around. Maybe all of them are.

"What can I say," Naruto grins, "I'm amazing."

"Hold up," Sakura says suddenly, putting a hand in the air. She scoots over to where the fire is burning and blows a water jutsu on it, dousing out the flames.

A few seconds later Naruto hears footsteps nearing. They have no weapons so they'll have to rely on jutsu but he's not worried – while they both may be weaker due to their physical age they'll be able to take care of anybody with no problem. If it's Zabuza it won't be as easy but it's manageable, especially with the two of them.

He tenses but then the footsteps bypass the entrance to the stairway without stopping.

Naruto waits a few more seconds before turning back to Sakura and reigniting the flame. "They're really content to just leave us down here."

"Yeah, well, they think we're two twelve-year-old genin so it's not like we can do much."

"Yeah," Naruto murmurs. "You know a lot of what you said before is now starting to make sense?"

"Hm?"

"You know," Naruto says, "First the gambling, then about how Kakashi's fake death was scarring-"

"It _was!" _Sakura squeaks. "Come on, admit it. When it happened last time around you were scarred too!"

"Yeah, well, I just witnessed my sensei being cut to bits!"

"Me too!"

Naruto pauses. "Why were we arguing then?"

Sakura shrugs but she can't stop the grin that lights her face. "I dunno."

Naruto grins back and she resists the urge to giggle like the twelve-year-old she was.

"You know," Naruto says. "I feel kinda guilty. I left Kakashi and Sasuke all alone – good work giving Sasuke the slip by the way. You were coming here to take care of Gato right? To stop Sasuke's sharingan but also save Zabuza and Haku."

_Save Zabuza and Haku. _

"Of course," Sakura says automatically, furiously fighting down the guilty flush.

"That was my plan too," Naruto admits, "But I was gonna do it later."

"Great minds think alike," Sakura says, chuckling awkwardly.

Naruto's eyes slide over to hers. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replies instinctively.

Naruto eyes her carefully before sighing and leaning back. "You were planning on killing Zabuza and Haku weren't you?"

Sakura glances down at the floor guiltily. As good as a liar she is her teammates know her too well.

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

"It's fine," Naruto says gruffly. "Old habits die hard. But that's what you've got me for!" He sends her his trademark grin and Sakura can't help but smile back.

"Thanks Naruto," she whispers. "You're the best."

Naruto flushes under the praise. "Aaww Sakura-chan you're too sweet."

"Don't get used to it," Sakura says flippantly. "If you're ever annoying I've still got my trademark punch. You know what? That reminds me. _You _caused me _so much stress."_

"Huh?" Naruto says innocently.

"_Team 7_," she sighs. "I was worried about whether or not you and Mizuki-sensei would still be predictable, then there was that period where you suddenly climbed the rankings and I was worried that you wouldn't be dead last again. Then I was worried that you were going to bring up that whole 'let's stop doing D-rank missions' and then get hurt by Haku again and during the bell test you let off Kurama's chakra and I was worried that-"

"'K 'k I get it," Naruto interrupts quickly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry Sakura-chan."

Sakura turns up her nose. "You should be," she sniffles.

Naruto grins. "Looks like you've still got a bit of Ino in you."

Sakura's eyes dim and Naruto winces.

"Sorry – I know it must be hard-"

"Nonsense!" Sakura waves off quickly. "And don't even try to diminish what _you're _feeling. You had- _everything-" _Sakura slaps a hand over her mouth guiltily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine," Naruto says, turning away. "I know. I had everything. But now I have… _you."_

He turns to her and grabs the shoulders, looking in her eyes. "I have _you _and you have _me."_

Sakura smiles wobbly, feeling the tears begin to rise again.

"Gods," she whispers, "Don't you _dare _leave me alone again! I love you you know."

"I love you too," Naruto mumbles, "And I won't. Sorry I got you killed."

"You didn't," Sakura reassures him again.

"Hold on!" Naruto says suddenly. "Why were you going to punch me?"

Sakura flushes. "I just thought- I mean- I was going to knock you out and carry you away 'cause, I mean, well, you were pretty useless last time around. And that way I wouldn't have to explain anything either - just carry your body out and make up a story or something. I mean, Zabuza's powerful but he's not _fast - _especially not when carrying that heavy sword."

Naruto opens his mouth but Sakura cuts in quickly.

"Come on! I bet you were just thinking of grabbing me and hiraishin'ing away!"

Naruto blushes, closing his mouth.

"Yeah," he murmurs, and the two of them lapse into comfortable silence.

"…Sakura," Naruto finally says, in that tone of voice that Sakura's learnt to dread because it speaks of skeletons in the closet. "We have to talk about it sometime."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura says quickly.

"Yes you do Sakura," he says, and even though his voice hasn't broken yet it carries the maturity that only years can achieve. "Stop avoiding the subject."

Sakura winces, looking down at her hands and twiddling her thumbs.

"It's the elephant in the room-"

"_There is no elephant_," she hisses.

Naruto takes a deep breath and drops the bomb. "Sasuke."

Sakura shakes her head fervently. "I don't want to think about it I don't want to think about it-"

"If we've come back," Naruto says steadily, "He might've too."

"No no no no _no-"_

"Sakura," Naruto repeats, "Listen to me. You need to know what happened after you died."

"I know enough," she snarls. The vaults had been a new period of their lives after the Fourth War and she had thought – she and Naruto had both thought – _how stupid of them – _that Team 7 would be enough to protect it.

The vaults were a top-secret post-war operation of all the nations. The Big 5 nations had agreed to it, and thus the smaller nations were forced to as well. All the relics of the war – weapons, powerful ones, seals, deadly ones, jutsus, techniques, kekkai genkai – they would be kept in vaults. It was the new version of the forbidden scroll – everything that was deadly and dastardly went into each nation's vaults, hidden in a secret location, the existence of them only known by the top few leaders of each nation.

The vaults were there to make sure that no one got the power to start another war, the power to _destroy the world. _

Team 7 had personally took care of Fire's. The first layer of protection had been performed by Naruto – a myriad of seals so complex that no one less than a seal master could break them – unless, of course, you had been there during the making and listened to Naruto's explanation on how to get past them. The second had been Sasuke's doing – snake summons which slithered around, protecting the entrance to the tombs. Sakura had completed the last layer – poisons, everywhere, in the air, coated over every surface.

And it had been fine for a while.

But then outrage occurred again.

Sakura can still feel the blood, see it, _smell_ it – all again as she thinks of that _terrible terrible time_ just chasing after _power_-

"…do you know what he wanted?" she finally says, "Or did I die in vain?"

Naruto swallows harshly, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"I- I'm sorry. We think – we think – it had something to do with a jutsu."

"Of course," Sakura says hollowly. "_Of course."_

And then she begins to tremble, hands fisting.

"He had the rinnegan," she says quietly. "You two were the most powerful people in the _whole_ _world what other fucking power did he need? _Is _that _what he went to _war _for?_"_

"Sakura," Naruto says, reaching forward but she flinches. "_Sakura – _Sasuke's- he's different. Power's always been the thing that made him feel _right_. Sasuke's always been alone-"

"No," she says icily. "He _hasn't."_

"But he feels like he has. You don't understand-"

"-because my parents are still alive, huh? Well sorry I'm not going to kill them so I can _understand!"_

Naruto recoils and Sakura turns away.

"…we shouldn't fight," he says quietly.

Sakura snorts. "Of course," she says sarcastically. "Whatever you say Hokage-sama. But you know what? It was always like that with Sasuke. We _always always always _came after power. What was the technique he wanted anyway?"

"I don't know," Naruto says, "_No _one does. Only Sasuke would be able to answer that."

"Fucking _bastard," _Sakura hisses. "He _never _understood _anything _about bonds, about friends – we were practically his _family!"_

"Wait…" Naruto interrupts slowly, holding a hand up. Sakura stills. "Family… Oh my god. The Uchiha Massacre. Danzou – Root – _you – _you made it happen, didn't you? You did you did _you did_-"

Naruto continues to mouth the words, rocking back and forth, back and forth, eyes frenzied.

Sakura's eyes widen. She knows these symptoms – Naruto is losing his grip.

"Naruto," she whispers urgently, leaning in and grasping his shoulders. "Listen to me. Your name is Uzumaki Naruto. My name is Haruno Sakura. And- and our other teammate is Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto continues to rock, back and forth. "You killed them you killed them-"

"Snap out of it and _listen to me," _Sakura hisses. "Do _not _abandon me now Hokage-sama or by gods I will kill you. You blame me? Fine. It was my fault. But you didn't appoint me as Root Commander for nothing. You _know _I wouldn't do this to hurt him."

Naruto stops rocking. "Do I?" he asks, voice crystal clear.

Sakura takes a deep breath and leans back. "Yes. You do. Because you know – you know I loved him once. And sometimes – rarely – but sometimes I _do – _I see the boy he was, the man he could've been and I – I _wish."_

She takes a shaky breath but she doesn't cry – she won't waste another tear on him.

"…explain," Naruto finally says quietly.

"Civil war was brewing. You and I both know that."

"Yes…" Naruto breathes, "But I was trying to fix it-"

"Well it didn't work alright!" Sakura shouts, too frazzled now to even _care _about where the _fuck _Zabuza is. "I heard them – I listened in on their meetings. Did you know they were planning a pre-emptive? Striking the administrations building? Using that as a distraction before the rebellion? The massacre _had _to happen. I had to _make it happen."_

"I- I-" Naruto stutters. "But I-"

"I didn't want to hurt him-"

"Well that worked out splendidly for you, didn't it?" a voice cuts in coldly.

Sakura feels as if a bucket of ice water has just been dumped over her head. Her whole body begins to freeze, to _hurt, _and her heart is beating fast, trying to catch up but it _can't _because she's _frozen _and she can't _breathe _and how the_ fuck _did he get here-

"Hello Sasuke," Naruto says quietly.

A pair of red eyes stare back and Sakura feels as if she's going to _die. _

"Naruto," Sasuke greets, "Sakura." Then his mangekyou begins to _whirl._

* * *

**AN: **Right. So a lot more explanation about the past was supposed to be in here but it just ended up being way too long so... yeah. It'll all be in the next chapter. I know a lot of you as well reviewed the last chapter saying it's amazing they haven't figured it out yet so yeah, hopefully this will please you.

Thanks to reviewers **Guest, Suzululu4moe, Bananarock509, quackerduck, Dotted-Daffodil, Illuminated, Catcrazzed, Enigma infinite, Guest, Broken Reveries, DoctorWhoGirl14, KRIOSdaBOSS, Guest, Munz, Guest, Della-Avril, Guest, NarutoXHonoka, AccidentalSorcerer, Ann **and **Shen **

Also, I know I don't usually say this but I'd really really like it if you guys could review or PM me about how you think this chapter went. It's a really pivotal and important one as you all can probably tell and the next one will be as well so I _really _want to what's working, what's not, anything that could be improved. Also feel free to guess what's going to happen next, what Sasuke's deal is, but yeah. Thanks heaps guys xxx

Apologies as well - next chapter will also take quite a bit firstly because it's important and I want to do it right, and second because I'm going away to visit family and it's gonna be a packed schedule. But nonetheless I'll try my best :)

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!


	14. Wave - III

**AN: **Well. This took a bit longer than usual. But to be fair, it was an important chapter (EXPLANATIONS!) and fanfiction was down a day or two.

Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

_**Wave - III**_

* * *

**Sasuke**

"You gonna be a little more forthcoming with your answers now?" Kakashi grits out, uncharacteristically annoyed. Or maybe worried. On his back Tazuna jolts up and down as his sensei runs - Kakashi'd refused to leave the bridge builder behind as they went after Naruto and Sakura.

"Well?" Kakashi prompts.

Sasuke clenches his jaw, eyes firmly trained on the ground below him.

In front of them Pakkun halts before jerking his head to the left.

"That way," he grunts, "Only a hundred metres."

Kakashi nods his head in thanks and the dog disappears.

"Let's go," he says before shooting off, Sasuke on his tail. Tazuna groans again, bumping awkwardly on Kakashi's back.

"Do we really have to go after those brats-"

"Yes," Sasuke grits tersely.

Tazuna pouts but shuts up, eyeing over Kakashi's shoulder.

"Hey wait," he cuts in suddenly. "I know this place- we can't go there! That's Gato's domain!"

Sasuke narrows his eyes. Had his teammates been taken by Gato? It seems like the logical answer but-

But he's beginning to see that nothing's logical about Team 7.

All three arrive at the building. Kakashi scans the area quickly before dropping Tazuna down onto the ground and turning to Sasuke.

"Wait here," he says quietly. "Stay with Tazuna. If anything happens – scream."

"Yes sensei," Sasuke says obediently. Kakashi pushes the bridge builder towards Sasuke and he catches him in his arms, Tazuna wisely staying silent.

Kakashi eyes him carefully before taking off into the building. The second his sensei's back is turned Sasuke turns to Tazuna and quietly pinches the back of his neck that way Sakura used to do. The bridge builder opens his mouth in pain but the whole process is so quick that he doesn't have a chance to scream. Sasuke pulls his unconscious body up into the trees and leaves him there.

This is the perfect opportunity for him to both investigate his teammates as well as gain the sharingan – he can just come out of the whole ordeal with his sharingan and make up some story – he was too worried about his teammates, thought they'd died… It'd both increase his credibility as well as give him his sharingan.

Sasuke leaves Tazuna and takes into the building after his sensei, muting his chakra. The process is relatively easy – Kakashi's already knocked out all the front gate guards and the like. But his teammate's signatures are nowhere to be found.

Perhaps they really _were _captured and are contained using chakra suppressors. That would make their signature disappear – a perfect tactic for keeping hostages hidden. Gato must know they're with Kakashi and are planning to lure him there or something. But that means they'll be harder to find.

Suddenly the two chakra's flare up – way closer to where he is in the building than where Kakashi is.

It's a chance and he'll take it.

Even though the chakra signatures disappear a second later, it's enough for him. Sasuke takes off, chasing after the last lingering chases of his teammates' chakra.

This is unfamiliar territory – a different path his sensei had chosen – but the guards along the way are easy work. The building itself is a normal one with hallways and patrol systems, but all the guards are regular chuunin at best and Sasuke has no problem dispatching them quick enough that they don't raise any alarms.

His two teammates' signatures seem to be coming from underground – a basement most likely. Quickly serving down another hallway, keeping his footsteps as silent as possible so as not to alert any other guards.

He comes towards a staircase leading to the bottom and he _knows – _that's where his teammates are.

He quickly descends the stairs, but then his ears pick up faint murmuring.

"I heard them – I listened in on their meetings. Did you know they were planning a pre-emptive? Striking the administrations building? Using that as a distraction before the rebellion? The massacre _had _to happen. I had to _make it happen._"

Sasuke's breath disappears.

_What is he hearing?_

His sharingan begins to whirl wildly with emotion but he can't control anything and he's shaking he can see it his fingers are not moving why is he _like this-_

Everything was so _normal _a second ago.

"I- I- but I-" he hears his other teammate say and it jolts him out of his reverie.

They know. They _both know. _

_They're both fucking back and Sakura killed them she killed them-_

Sasuke tears away towards his sensei – he needs _time-_

He appears in front of his sensei and Kakashi's eyes widen in surprise-

Sasuke knocks him out in one blow and Kakashi topples to the floor.

And then he tears back – back to his teammates, to _Team 7 and what they're all saying-_

They have privacy now. And time. And they. Need. _Both. _

He comes back to those stairs – those _dreaded stairs – _and descends them slowly, carefully, step by step.

"-I didn't want to hurt him-"

Sasuke slams open the door.

"Well," he says icily, hair hanging deadly over his eyes, "that worked out splendidly for you, didn't it?"

He can almost _feel _the two heartbeats of his teammates, racing wildly like the wind, can _smell _the fear of Sakura, the _anger _of Naruto. And he can _see them both. _

Right in front of him.

Naruto and Sakura, huddled together, illuminated by a burning fire to the side.

Sasuke scoffs. How _fucking romantic. _

Sakura shakes and stumbles back. She's scared. _Good. _Naruto has his eyes narrowed determinedly – of _course _he'd take her side.

"Hello Sasuke," Naruto says quietly.

"Naruto," Sasuke greets, face hard as stone. "Sakura."

Then his mangekyou whirls, faster and faster, feeding off his emotion.

"Sasuke," Sakura whispers quietly and his name on the lips of that _killer _snaps him out of his phase.

"_Fuck. You." _He snarls, fingernails digging into his palms, leaving trails of blood dripping down onto the floor.

Sakura's eyes are pleading, and on her twelve-year-old body it seems almost fucking _innocent. _As if she isn't bloody _Root Commander Haruno that bloody bitch. _

"It had to happen don't you see?" But then Sakura pauses. "Why the _fuck _am I explaining myself to you? _You killed me! For power!"_

"You wouldn't understand-" Sasuke begins coldly but then Sakura shrieks.

"Don't you _dare _pull that card on me. I _died."_

"And you _killed my family!" _Sasuke shouts, losing his cool for once. His fingernails dig in deeper- deeper- because kami help him he'll strangle them both otherwise. "Would you die for your parents? Because I would, Sakura. But I never got that luxury because you – you _killed _them."

He steps forward and looks her right in the eye. "Tell me right now that you would rather you be here alive right now, and your parents both be dead."

Sakura raises her head, lip trembling, but stays silent.

"Exactly," he spits. "And you know what? _I would too. _But you took that choice away from me! My family, Sakura! My _parents!"_

And then Sasuke begins to chuckle darkly.

That seems to snap Sakura out of her reverie. "I won't be intimidated by you," she says staunchly.

"Oh yeah?" Sasuke says, cocking an eyebrow. "You think you're so tough but you know what? _I am too. _Maybe you should get a taste of your own medicine huh?"

Sakura narrows her eyes. "Don't you _dare _touch my parents."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow, beginning to step slowly towards her. "Can you stop me?"

"_You,_" Sakura shakes, but she holds her head high and it fucking pisses him off because _how can she still be so strong after killing his whole family? _"You fucking bastard-"

"Then you'll know how it _feels," _he hisses, and his steps towards her quicken. "And your own brother didn't even do it!"

He's a centimetre in front of her before a hand clamps on his shoulder.

"Sasuke," Naruto says in that tone of voice which makes them both freeze, almost instinctively – because it's the long reminiscent voice of _Nanadaime Hokage-sama_.

"Just tell me, Sasuke," Naruto says slowly, stepping in between the two of them. "Why did you go to war? What was the jutsu?"

"I have nothing to say," Sasuke hisses, but then Naruto punches him and he reels back, hands at his mouth, clawing at the blood.

"You're both idiots," Naruto says quietly and he stills. "The both of you. You don't understand _anything. Neither of you. _The both of you need to open your eyes and _look. _The past may not have been good, but some of it was. And you know what? We were happy together. But now you're throwing that all away for past misdemeanours. If you would just _look _for a second and actually _see – _we're _Team 7. And we're all back."_

He steps back so that he faces both.

"What none of you are comprehending right now is that _we are not alone. You are not alone anymore. _You finally have _companionship and you're throwing it away."_

"I- I-" Sakura stutters, stumbling back. "He killed me-"

"And I killed him for it," Naruto says steadily. "I killed him for it Sakura. And Kurama released the seal right after I did it, as I stood over his body and your coffin because he _knew _that I would _never be happy. _That _none _of us would ever be happy with the way things turned out. He gave us a new start and you're wasting it _fighting."_

Sasuke snarls at Sakura but doesn't say anything.

"Now," Naruto says, taking a deep breath. "What was it Sasuke?"

Sasuke shakes his head, a deep chuckle bubbling from his bloody lip.

"You're both wrong, you see," he says, mind swaying. "It was never power. Nothing of it was. It. Was. Always. _Family."_

He whirls onto Naruto. "_You. _You had Hinata. You would never understand."

"What about me?" Sakura says quietly, and then he looks over to her. And she looks _small. _She looks _twelve, _all hunched up, hands bumbled like a child, hair pink and billowing.

Sasuke grits his teeth and looks away.

"Look," she says quietly. "You killed me for it. The least you can do is tell me. _Please."_

Sasuke swallows harshly, eyes looking up at the low ceiling. Then Naruto places a staunch hand on his shoulder. He doesn't say anything, but Sasuke knows what he's thinking in that _Team 7 _way of theirs.

"Orochimaru," he says carefully, "was always a long time thinker."

Both his teammates bristle at the name – the name that started _everything. _

"When I-" his voice cracks but he recovers quickly. "When I was with him, he wanted me to, uh- give him another body."

"I- I don't understand," Sakura says desperately, but Naruto tenses.

"He wanted a child," the blonde says heavily.

"And I knew I couldn't give it to him!" Sasuke hisses, hands clenching into his shirt, mattering it with blood. "I made sure to use protection – _every time. _And it never worked, and he- he gave up. At least- I thought- I thought that's what happened."

Sakura collapses onto her knees and cries and Sasuke eyes the wall, trying to stop himself from punching it and bringing the whole place down.

"He was… successful?" Naruto asks carefully. "You…"

"It was hinted at," Sasuke says flatly. "In one of his scrolls I found on my travels."

"Is that why you-" Naruto begins to ask but Sasuke shakes his head.

"I really did want a break away from Konoha. The fact that I stumbled onto that scroll was purely coincidental. I didn't leave Konoha with the intention of-"

"Starting a war," Sakura breathes.

"So…" Naruto says, inching closer to him.

Sasuke turns away. "The scroll said – the baby had lived. But- but- she'd been eight when she'd- _died. _Eight! And I needed – _I needed to save her!"_

"_Her_," Sakura whispers, head in her hands as she begins to rock.

"The resurrection jutsu," Naruto breathes. "Split between the vaults of Sound and _Fire_."

"Sound caught me." Sasuke hisses. "I wasn't _careful _enough – but I had the first part and I just needed the _second- and it was so close!"_

"Why didn't you tell us?" Naruto asks, mouth still gaping in surprise.

"You tell me," Sasuke says wryly. "I knew you wouldn't support me – especially not as the Hokage. It'd open the door to other people wanting to use it and especially after the Fourth War – we couldn't open that gate. And Sakura… I… made a mistake. I hurt you and I couldn't- _I couldn't tell you."_

"A baby," Sakura whispers, and finally the tears stop but she still rocks, back and forth.

Sasuke turns to her resolutely. "Naruto was a clone. I thought you were too. I didn't mean to. The war. I- I- I didn't mean to. I didn't think Sound would- but they did- and by that it was _too late _and the jutsu was _so close _I _had _to don't you see?"

Sakura stops rocking before standing up. She walks towards him and he flinches.

"Did it work?" she asks quietly. "Was it worth it?"

For the first time, Sasuke feels tears spring to his eyes. "…no. _There was no baby. _Even in the afterlife Orochimaru was screwing me over."

"I need to go," Sakura says finally, and she walks out of the door, civilian paced, passed him, and Naruto.

She leaves, and neither of them stop her.

* * *

**Naruto**

"Well fuck," Naruto says quietly, in the dim lighting of the basement under Gato's building.

"Yeah," Sasuke grunts, and Naruto looks at him – really _looks _at him. Takes in the youthful contours marred by the emotions of war, of conflict and pain. A beautiful face – one that his teammate fell in love with. And one which caused many, many more deaths.

"After Sound… why didn't you tell us?" Naruto asks softly. He's already asked this and it all feels so _moot _but he can't help feel as if he's missing a gigantic part of his teammate's life. As if he's been betrayed _again._

"I was in too deep. And I _needed _Konoha's vaults and you – you would never let me."

"Gods," Naruto says, and his voice cracks and breaks.

"I didn't mean to kill her," Sasuke says quietly. "You and her were both waiting in the vaults. I dealt with you first and you disappeared – you were a clone. And I – I thought she was too."

Naruto nods but his throat is dry, his mind is empty.

"It was just going to be us two clones. But we decided last minute that Sakura would go in for real, just in case the perpetrator was stronger than we'd anticipated. After all _I_ couldn't – I had other duties as a wartime Kage so she- she..."

Naruto swallows harshly but the water doesn't soothe his parched throat.

"She died for it," he whispers softly.

Sasuke stands up resolutely. "I need to go."

Naruto's head shoots up but his teammate is already turning towards the door.

"Wait," he says firmly. "Don't go after her. You can't save her. But you can make things better."

"Don't be stupid," Sasuke says, his back still facing Naruto. But he can hear that wobble in his teammate's voice – that small crack of insecurity. "I can't do _anything_ anymore."

His back begins to shake but Naruto smiles.

"Wanna bet? You sure you can't help _anyone?"_

Sasuke doesn't respond but Naruto bets he's probably rolling his eyes right now.

"Where's Kakashi?" Naruto points out.

Sasuke stills, and then his shoulders begin to shake, up and down.

"Wow," he says, "You really know what to say huh? He's two hallways down, to the west. Go and do your hero thing."

"Hero thing all because you helped me," Naruto says light-heartedly, half-heartedly.

"Sure," Sasuke says, and Naruto feels that maybe he's on the road to recovery.

"And don't forget," he adds quickly, feeling scared and twelve again. "Come back."

Sasuke pauses before tilting his head back. He gives Naruto a small smile.

"I will," he nods, and then he disappears and the ravens flap and flap and flap through the smoke and Naruto reaches up, looks for Itachi, looks for how he can pull his teammates out of their hellholes.

Perhaps he can start with Kakashi.

Resolutely, Naruto turns around and heads for their sensei. He can't feel Kakashi's chakra – Sasuke must have knocked him out pretty good – but he can't sense anyone else there either. Good thing that the two of them had pretty much gotten rid of most of the gate guards otherwise Kakashi and Tazuna would both be in trouble.

Tazuna!

Naruto pauses in his steps, looking outside. But then he senses Sakura's chakra signature – much steadier now, more measured, like the old her – heading towards him and he smiles. Even when all of Team 7 is in disarray they never lose sight of the goal.

Seeing that Tazuna is taken care of, Naruto resumes his steady walk to Kakashi.

It's strange, he supposes – walking, that is. He's so used to _rushing – _all of them are – and walking is… nice.

Letting out a shaky breath, Naruto spots Kakashi's fallen body. His sensei seems as if he's already beginning to stir and Naruto smiles. What a trooper.

Bending down he cradles Kakashi's head, feeling his temple and his neck, looking for all the signs Sakura had taught them to look for. Who knows – in Sasuke's state of mind a simple knockout could have turned dangerous.

Pursing his lips, Naruto reaches in for some chakra to jolt his sensei out of his reverie-

Naruto stills.

He can feel something inside of him, pulling, tugging. A slight pressure, waiting to be released.

Beneath him, Kakashi's eyes flutter open and that's when Naruto's falls back.

His eyes roll up but then all he can see is darkness and-

_Kurama._

Naruto lands in the cells on all fours, vision blurring. Beneath him he can see the cold concrete, cool against his palms. The individual ridges curl forwards towards the beast inside the cell.

"Kurama," Naruto sighs.

The beast is lying behind the bars of the cell, head resting calmly on top of its paws. Its eyes are sharp, guarded.

**I believe, **he says, **that we have a lot to talk about.**

Naruto smiles and sits down, crossing his legs as he tilts his head up, staring at the fox who would eventually become one of his closest confidantes.

"Yes," Naruto says. "I believe we do."

**It seems that my future self knows much more than I do, **Kurama says, **would you care to fill me in on how you came to be here?**

"Well," Naruto says, "You believe me. That's a good start."

**A good start? To what?**

"I know this is hard to believe," Naruto says carefully, "But we were… friends. In the future. _Very _good friends."

Kurama bristles but doesn't attack. **How so?**

"For a very long time, you were sought of as a tool of war," Naruto says, carefully eyeing the fox. A normal ninja would have kept their emotions in check but Kurama is a creature powerful enough to be emotional. The fox is already clenching his teeth and Naruto knows he's treading dangerous territory. "I spent months – _years – _trying to convince you not to hate humanity, even though you were quite justified to, I admit. I tried – and hopefully I succeeded – to treat you with respect."

**Respect, **Kurama repeats flatly, and Naruto supposes it's better than being yelled at.

"Yes," he nods. "I know you see yourself as the living embodiment of hatred but you know what? I worked years to help you resolve your hatred. And- and I'm going to do it again. I'd do it a thousand times if I needed to."

Kurama eyes him carefully before chuckling darkly. **I see my chakra means much to you.**

"It's not what you think," Naruto says quietly, shaking his head. "I know you're going to try to use my dependence on your power to gain control over me and break free from the seal but – and despite how utterly preposterous this may sound to you now – I really do want to stop your hatred. Because you became one of the people I could trust _most, _and that was hard to say during times of war. Because you were happier after. You were reunited with your siblings. You _chose _to stay with me because it made you happy."

Kurama pushes up and shakes his head. **This is so stupid it's not even worth my attention. **

"Yeah?" Naruto says, scrambling up as well. "Well I'm going to give you _my _attention. I'm going to get rid of your hatred like I did last time. And I'm going to make you _believe."_

**Good luck with that, **Kurama snorts.

"Thank you," Naruto nods. "And you'll see. One day we'll be like before."

**See, **Kurama says, leaning back. **The problem with you kid, is you're too attached to the past. You want to make everything like the way it was back then. Me, your teammates. And I sure as hell don't want to. And neither do your teammates. **_**People change **_**Naruto. **_**People change. **_**Things will never be like the way they used to be, no matter how hard you try. Because Sasuke's different. Sakura's different. And it. Will. **_**Never. **_**Work. You'll never be happy again. **

Naruto clenches his fists and Kurama takes the opportunity to attack.

**Sasuke can't ever look at Konoha the same way ever again, after it prevented him getting back his baby – or at least he thought. He's taking this new life to destroy the thing on which he pushed the blame for his past life's pains and failures. Sakura can never be the same again. She's taken this new life as an opportunity, a mission, when it's a life and so much more complex than that. She's let her Root side take over, and who knows if there's any humanity left in her. **

Kurama leans forward and eyes Naruto.

**And **_**you **_**can never be the same again. Not after seeing what your beloved country did to your teammates. Can you stomach being the Hokage again? Making those hard decisions again? You see, Naruto, Team 7 will **_**never **_**be the same.**

Naruto takes a deep, shaky breath, pushing back the tears he can feel emerging. He _cannot _let Kurama get to him.

"Maybe things won't ever be the same again," he says, staring up at the fox obstinately. "Maybe you're right. Maybe Sasuke has changed, and Sakura has too, and _I _have too. Maybe we won't ever be the old Team 7 again. But that doesn't mean we can't be _happy. _That doesn't mean we can't be a _new _Team 7. Things won't be like last time – things won't be a happy ending. But you know what? Last time _wasn't _a happy ending. But this time, it'll get damn well close."

Kurama eyes him appraisingly.

"Goodbye," Naruto says finally, letting out a steady breath. "I'll talk to you soon."

**Well then, **Kurama curls, **I'll hold you to it.**

Naruto smiles and around him the jail begins to dissipate, melting back into reality.

Naruto takes a deep breath and his eyes snap open.

"Kakashi-sensei," he says weakly.

His sensei gives him that familiar crinkle-eyed smile and Naruto can feel his steady heartbeat through his back. His sensei is carrying him out the building, passed all the unconscious guards.

"Welcome back Naruto," his sensei smiles, and the words mean so much more to Naruto now than ever before.

"Glad to be back sensei," he grins.

* * *

**Sakura**

"What are we doing?" Tazuna grumbles.

"Keep up," Sakura says flatly.

"I repeat," Tazuna says gruffly. "_What are we doing. _I mean, forgive me if I don't trust you Miss 'I don't think I'm ready'."

"I suggest," Sakura says, as calmly as she can manage, "that you _keep. Up."_

"And _I _repeat-" Tazuna begins, but Sakura whirls around.

"Look," she grits out, "We're saving your town alright?"

"Look," Tazuna says, holding his hands up as he imitates her. "It's not like I don't appreciate the sentiment but… _why _are you doing this? Can _you_ even do that?"

Sakura clenches her fists, resisting the urge to crack the earth in half to show him that _yes, _she can do that. As for why? Well, she's been a horrible person so far, might as well try to make things right.

"And if you're going to do that," Tazuna continues, "Why are we heading to the village? Isn't that kind of counter-productive? Walking away from Gato's lair? Not that I want to confront him or anything but… you know. Just sayin'"

Sakura sighs. Why did she wake him up in the first place? She should've carried him on her back that blubbering goof.

"Because," Sakura says says with an agitated breath, _I'm thinking of Naruto. I'm going to try to do things the Naruto way – the _right _way. I'm going to try to rally a people together. I'm going to try to step out of Root Commander Haruno into- into _Sakura _Haruno. _

"Because," she says again, steadying herself. "Me and my… friends… we're going to take care of Gato's big guns. But when I say big – I mean _big_. Which means I need you guys – all of you guys – to be right here behind us, taking care of those small ones."

"Pfft," Tazuna snorts. "Not happening."

"It will," Sakura says steadily. It will, because she'll _make _it happen. It _has _to happen. For Naruto, for Sasuke.

For _her._

"Where's the rest of you anyway?" Tazuna grumbles. "They should be back by now."

Sakura suppresses her wince – she'd told him that they'd gone to 'scout the danger' after he'd been knocked out by 'enemy ninja'. Not the best lie she's told, true, but the last thing she needs is Tazuna around a volatile Sasuke and Naruto.

"You'll all be staying at the house with me while I finish the bridge by the way," Tazuna says. "I've got a little grand-kid though, and just forewarning you – he doesn't like ninja."

"I'm sure we can handle him," Sakura says wryly. In front of them the village of Wave looms up. There's no one guarding the gates – no need, she supposes – but the sight of the village makes Tazuna hustle faster.

"Tsunami's lovely," Tazuna begins to say. "You'll love her. But Inari… well. He's a bit…"

Sakura continues to nod uncommitedly, giving the pretence of listening. Truth is though, she has thoughts which go way beyond Inari, Tsunami and Tazuna. Name in point-

_Naruto._

And Kakashi-sensei!

Sakura's footsteps still.

Tazuna shoots her a look, breaking off his sentence. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Sakura says quickly, shaking her head. "I just sensed my two teammates. They're already at the village."

"The broody one and the small one?"

She wishes.

"Naruto and Kakashi-sensei."

"Your sensei," Tazuna nods. Sakura decides to leave out the fact that her sensei's chakra is muted – unconscious.

There are a few people waiting at the gates for Tazuna even though it's the middle of the night – other bridge builders, most likely. But Sakura is too busy thinking of Inari. She has to make things right but she's never been much of a motivational speaker. That was always more Naruto's thing.

But she'll need to motivate Inari enough to motivate the village. What was Inari's father's name again? Started with a 'K'..? Ku-something? Or was it Kai-something?

"Sakura!"

Sakura's head snaps up so quickly she almost gives herself whiplash. How had she not sensed him coming?

"Naruto," she says blankly, not quite sure how to respond after that whole episode.

Next to him a small boy in a white hat – Inari! – hits him and tells him to shush.

"Hey Sakura," Naruto says as if everything is still _normal, _"this is Inari! And his father's a hero!"

Immediately Sakura looks at the small boy, waiting for the backlash, but Inari just grins and gives her Naruto's thumbs up.

"Yeah!" he says, a determined glint in his eyes, "He was the best! And I'm going to _just like him!"_

"Inari?" Tazuna gasps, vocalising Sakura's surprise.

"Grandpa!" Inari shouts, and this time Naruto turns around and shushes him.

Tazuna rushes forward and Inari jumps into his grandfather's arms. Naruto smiles softly as he shuffles over to match his step with hers.

"I got here a bit earlier than you," Naruto confesses. "And I thought Inari needed a bit of motivation."

"Right," Sakura says blankly. Even though she's trying to help it's still _Naruto _that's gotten to him first. _Naruto _who's always fixing everything for everyone, who always seems to know what to do, what to say. Everyone thinks that she's the one that keeps Team 7 together – after all, Naruto and Sasuke are such polar opposites – but perhaps it's always been _Naruto._

And suddenly she's overwhelmed with a waves and _waves _of gratefulness – for all he's done for her, for _Team 7, _for the friendship he showed her, for the time and energy that he put into them. For just being _Naruto._

"_Thank you," _she whispers, and her small fingers find his and interlace them.

"No problem," Naruto laughs, but it's a laugh that's intermingled with heavy pain and tears of joy.

"You kids coming?" Tazuna calls out from in front. "My house is that way."

"Yep!" Sakura calls back, a small smile dancing on her lips.

"Let's not keep Tsunami waiting eh?" Naruto smiles, "She's just as nice as last time."

Sakura pauses, turning to eye Naruto. "That reminds me. What's the deal with Kakashi-sensei?"

"Well," Naruto says, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I uh- I knocked him out."

"That's probably a good idea," Sakura admits. "That way we can think of a cover story to tell him or- I know! I could probably just perform a bit of a medical procedure on his frontal lobe – that deals with memory – and he won't remember anything! Then we can just feed him the story from last time-"

"Actually," Naruto cuts in hastily, rubbing his hand through his hair awkwardly, "I think we should tell him."

Sakura's step falters before she rights herself quickly.

"_What?"_

"Y-you know," Naruto says awkwardly. "I feel bad but- I mean- I haven't decided yet. You could do… that. To his brain. But- I don't know."

"Over here!" Tazuna calls, waving them over to his house. Sakura bites her lip and slips her twelve-year-old genin mask back on as Tsunami's head pops out the door.

"Let's go," Naruto says quickly, avoiding her gaze.

"Hello," Tsunami says warmly as they approach. Inari darts between her legs back inside. Tazuna gives his daughter a quick smile before she helps him inside.

"You must be Sakura," she says as she helps Tazuna settle down on the couch. The house is illuminated by a warm yellow light and Sakura's eyes take a moment to adjust.

"Nice to meet you," she says respectfully, holding out her hand.

Tsunami shakes it firmly with a twinkle in her eye. "Nice to finally meet the fourth member of the team keeping my father safe."

"No problem," Sakura says instinctively, but her eyes dart to Naruto's – _Tsunami's already met Sasuke?_

"If you'll excuse us," Naruto says quickly, "Sakura wants to see our sensei."

"Of course," Tsunami gushes. "Poor thing. Would you like anything to eat? Drink?"

"No thank you," Sakura says through a tight-lipped smile.

"Let's go," Naruto murmurs and Sakura follows him obediently, away from the main family.

He ushers her into a small room at the end of the hallway – the same room Kakashi had been kept in last time.

"I didn't hit him _that_ hard," Naruto mumbles, "But I think Sasuke did some damage before and I exacerbated it."

A small part of Sakura's mind congratulates Naruto on the wide vocabulary but the other part is still frozen in shock. The sight of Kakashi lying motionless in her bed brings her back to this same time a lifetime ago, the first time she began to realise that life as a ninja was not as glorified as it seemed.

Naruto is still staring at her and belatedly Sakura realises why he brought her here. Quickly hurrying over to their sensei, her hands probe over his head and her chakra searches the rest of his body.

"He's not injured too bad," she murmurs. "He'll probably wake up tonight."

Naruto winces and Sakura quickly sends numbing chakra through Kakashi.

"It's alright," she adds quickly. "I just deepened his sleep so that he won't be up till tomorrow morning."

"You can do that?" Naruto asks, knotting his eyebrows.

Sakura shrugs. "I just sent through some pulses of numbing chakra which should relax his body and keep him asleep a few hours longer."

"I never knew that!" Naruto exclaims. "Tell me more!"

"Um. Yeah," Sakura says. This was not the conversation she'd expected they'd be having in here. "Some people have obtrusive chakra – chakra too volatile that when it runs through another person's pathways their pathways are damaged. These people can never be medic nin – not that it matters, because the control needed to be one is very rarely found in someone with such chakra. Other people have chakra which is more soothing – most medic nin, in fact. A select few have numbing chakra – chakra so steady and calming that it relaxes the other."

"That's you?" Naruto asks eagerly.

"No," Sakura says, shaking her head. "I fall in the second category. But you can always hone your chakra to lean towards one side or the other. It takes work and a _lot _of control. But for people who aren't born with such advantages, it's something they have to do."

Sakura falls silent and realises that those words apply to her much more than in regards to this. Her being born into a civilian family, not understanding shinobi politics or having the inborn physical advantages of years of shinobi in the family lineage have all meant that she's had to work harder than her teammates. Perhaps that's why she was made Root Commander – she understands how precious such gifts are.

"That's amazing," Naruto smiles excitedly and Sakura glows. Naruto always manages to cheer other people up – either through their own happiness or his.

"…so," Sakura segways, finally bringing them to the conversation she'd wanted to have. "Tsunami's met Sasuke eh?"

"Yeah," Naruto says, swallowing awkwardly. "He came around half an hour after me and Kakashi got here."

"…where's he now?" Sakura asks, trying to seem casual as she rubs her sensei's head, trying to soothe his injuries.

"He's gone to stake out Zabuza and Haku. He's going to keep them away while Inari gets the villagers to take on Gato and his thugs."

"He might need help," Sakura blurts out. "I can go!"

Then, immediately realising the implications of her statement, she slaps her hand over her mouth.

"Yeah," Naruto smiles. "He might. But go to sleep first. It's been a long day."

Slowly, Sakura's hand drops down and she clears her throat awkwardly.

"Right," she says.

"Right," Naruto nods.

"Well," she hedges slowly. "Goodnight then."

"Goodnight," Naruto says, turning away before pausing.

"When I-" he stills and Sakura can see the gleams of sweat on the back of his neck. "When I wake up. Will you- will you still be here?"

And Sakura's heart almost breaks but she smiles, puts a comforting hand on his shoulder and says-

"Of course."

* * *

**AN: **I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter. But I really really really hoped you all liked it! I was pretty nervous putting out the massacre chapter but this one beats it 1000x!

**About updating: **Also apologies as I'll be busier now that school's started so updates will be less frequent. I'll aim for once a week, but more than likely it'll end up being once every two weeks. More if it's exams. I'm really sorry but this year is suddenly heaps busier than last!

So yeah, like I said before, I _really really _hope you all enjoyed that! Also kudos to Enigma infinite who guessed bits and parts of the reveal. And of course, thanks to everyone who's followed/favourited and the lovely reviews left by: **usaginekohime, euroteres, wingofpain, OhNoItsDog, the Hate Child, Illuminated, Guest, Suzululu4moe, Broken Reveries, AvidReader, catxangel, Corpj123, Dotted-Daffodil, Silima, Raenvoll, Colette Hyuga, Bananarock509, depressedchildren, Catcrazzed, Lonely Athena, AnimeLover3232, RaspberryCaramel, Thinker90, AkikoMiko, fascalia, Shen, Lamelinam, sagar hussain, Sincerely Athena, CrazyScythe, Guest, Ika-Sophie, ennui deMorte, Guest, Biscione, Guest, shii, KRIOSdaBOSS **and **sauskaepanda. **Hearing your comments really inspired me to write more of this chapter!

Hope you all enjoyed, please leave a comment and let me know what you think... and be excited for the next chapter! Still completely unwritten but now that most of this history and backstory has been put out into the open air things can get moving!


	15. Wave - IV

**AN: **What's this? An update? Sorry for taking so much longer than I promised guys... I know I said 2 weeks and it was a month. But RL has been extremely hectic and it looks like I won't have as much time as I thought I would've. Though I admit some of it was that this was a filler chapter and I wasn't really motivated... apologies! I had literally 95 percent of this chapter done but I just couldn't bring myself to write the last part.

Also apologies, but this one's not edited too well. I was just so happy at having finished it I didn't really read over it too well.

Hope you still enjoy though xx

* * *

**_Wave - IV_**

* * *

**Sakura**

A hand jolts her out of her sleep.

It's been too long since someone's woken her up so violently and Sakura jerks up, hands reaching for the kunai slipped under her pillow.

"Stop," Naruto says steadily. Behind him, the moon shines pale and waxen.

"Naruto," Sakura breathes. So it wasn't a dream.

"We have an emergency," Naruto says, eyes glinting. The sleepy fogginess begins to lift from her brain and Sakura can hear the cluttered jolting of Tsunami, Inari and Tazuna in the other parts of the house. Kakashi's room is still starkly silent.

"What is it?" Sakura asks quietly, glancing quickly at the clock on her bedside table – it's only four in the morning and they've been asleep for at most three hours.

"Sasuke raised the alarm. Zabuza and Haku have apparently decided to go after us first – you know, take out the opposition early. I don't think they're very happy at us escaping." Naruto purses his lips. "It's different from last time, but we're going to have to get through it."

"So they're coming here," Sakura deduces. "To this house."

Naruto nods sharply. "They're moving in in around twenty minutes, if they keep to the plan Sasuke overheard. I've talked to Tsunami and Tazuna already and they're getting ready to evacuate at moment's notice. They don't trust us three taking on the two of them alone – Tsunami's quite worried about us being without Kakashi – but I assured her it'd be fine. Sent along a few clones with Tazuna too. On the other hand Inari seems pretty keen on bringing about a revolution."

Sakura sits up quickly on her bed, mind digesting the information. Automatically she begins to get ready – pulling her hair up in a quick bun and slipping on her ninja wear. They've been in these situations so many times that Naruto doesn't even bat an eye.

"What's the plan?" Sakura asks, already falling into that familiar Team 7 mission mode. "If Inari's planning on taking on Gato's thugs with the village we'll have to make sure Zabuza and Haku don't get in the way and you-"

"Don't want them hurt," Naruto finishes, nodding resolutely.

"So the three of us," Sakura says, and it feels weird but so _right _to reference them all together, "the three of us hold them back while Inari does this stuff. No wait. Someone needs to take care of Gato to give Zabuza and Haku a reason to stop fighting."

"That's not the only problem," Naruto admits, throwing her an apple and a bottle of water. "We can't leave Inari and Tazuna alone – just in case – and Kakashi will be unattended."

Sakura pauses before grimacing. "There's the other problem too. When we say the three of us hold them back – does that include Sasuke? Is he feeling- _what- _I don't even know. This is _really _bad timing."

"Bad timing, yes," Naruto nods carefully. "But we have to work with what we've got. And what we've got to know is this – is Sasuke with us or against us? And for the moment he's with us."

"For the moment," Sakura winces. As the most strategic one of her team she's never been the one for short term goals, but then again that's Team 7 – always challenging, always changing.

"Sasuke's observing them both at the moment – he's ready to move in the moment they start advancing."

"Wait!" Sakura cuts in quickly. "How do you know this? How are you communicating?"

"Kage bunshin," Naruto supplies quickly. He pauses, eyes clouding before refocusing again. "Another one of mine just popped. Apparently they look ready to move in. We need a plan."

"You don't have one?" Sakura says, voice turning high-pitched towards the end. She barely manages to control it but she reminds herself – all three are back, and together they can take care of any threat.

"Well," Naruto says with a sheepish smile, "That's why I woke you up."

The action is so familiar that Sakura stills. And if it weren't for the complete serious nature of the whole thing she would have burst out laughing.

"Alright," she says, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She's done this many times before but this is the first time she's done this like _this _in this life – like this for _Team 7. _

"We need someone to stick at the house – they can make sure everyone here is safe, as well as be there for Kakashi if he wakes. Two of us will be enough to hold back Zabuza and Haku I reckon, but Inari will probably need someone with him to keep an eye on things. But I suppose a clone would always do."

"That'd probably be the best," Naruto nods, "I'll send a clone with him."

"Oh no wait," Sakura says quickly, cursing silently. Her brain is so frazzled and it's all because Team 7 is _here _and _functioning. _"Zabuza and Haku won't stop unless Gato's dead, in which case we have to go with your original idea and take care of Gato."

"Right," Naruto says, swallowing quickly. "So all three of us are split up then."

Sakura nods quickly. Around them Sakura can hear other houses beginning to stir – Inari is already rousing the whole village.

"I'm happy to stick with Inari," Naruto says, "And my clones will be of more use flittering around here. Sasuke's already at Zabuza and Haku but… I don't know – he's volatile and I'm not sure-"

"You're scared for his safety?" Sakura says disbelievingly.

"No," Naruto says, shaking his head, "I'm scared for theirs. Maybe you'd better go instead."

"And send Sasuke after Gato?"

Naruto smiles sheepishly. "Better Gato than Zabuza and Haku."

Sakura pauses then shrugs. "Alright. So I'm taking care of them – delaying them – you've got Tazuna, Tsunami and Kakashi, Inari's taking care of Gato's thugs with the village and Sasuke's got Gato himself."

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Sakura smooths down her ninja dress – impractical, but she hadn't thought that all of _this _would happen.

"Alright. So we're all set." She pauses. "What made them move in earlier this time around?"

Naruto pauses to think. "I guess Zabuza and Gato never considered us a threat that much last time – after all, he could take on Kakashi and Haku could have easily gotten the three of us. But after we escaped his jail he's probably a lot more cautious."

Naruto frowns, as if mulling over his own words before turning his steely gaze to Sakura.

"Stay safe," he says resolutely.

"I will," Sakura says, nodding firmly.

She shunshin's away, trying to anchor herself with her chakra. Once a Root Commander always a Root Commander and she can't let her emotions sway her.

Sakura halts a mile out, taking a deep breath to still her trembling fingers. She can't sense Sasuke or Zabuza at all, but Haku is letting off a small signal.

_Huh. _They're only a minute away. And Zabuza and Haku seem to be advancing steadily, no doubt Sasuke hot on their heels.

Her hand falls to her kunai belt, reassuring herself that she has all the poisons she needs. Zabuza and Haku will be hard work, especially since she's so many years out of practice. Field fighting has never been her thing anyway, though she supposes that that will change this time around.

Preparing a few kunai in her hands, Sakura releases her chakra signature sharply before muffling it again. There. That should have alerted Sasuke to her presence.

Haku's signature pauses – it seems that Zabuza and Haku had sensed her as well. Then his signature begins to advance again before stilling, just out of her sight.

A few seconds later Sasuke drops down in front of her, sharingan spinning lazily.

"Sakura," he nods.

Sakura takes a hallowing breath and reassures herself with the kunai in her hands.

"Are we on the same side?"

Sasuke lets out a sharp hiss of air through his nose, a small semblance of a snort.

"Why _not_," he shrugs, almost sarcastically. He stuffs his hands into his pockets casually – a seemingly innocent gesture, but she knows that his weapons are stored there.

"Great," Sakura says tightly, swallowing quickly to soothe her parched throat. "Um- Naruto's at the house. He's making sure everything's alright and to be there for when Kakashi wakes."

Sasuke's expression doesn't change.

"I suppose that's good," he says nonchalantly. "Don't want Kakashi waking up with no one. Like we all did."

"Right," Sakura nods, grip on her kunai never lessoning. Sure, they've sorted things out, but things take time and she knows – they all know – that Team 7 has been volatile and nothing like them can ever be sorted out cleanly. "Naruto wants you to-"

"Hokage's orders?" Sasuke curls, cocking an eyebrow.

Sakura bristles. "_Yes,_" she emphasises. "_Hokage's _orders."

"I could'a been Hokage," Sasuke muses, eyes drifting to the sky. For a second Sakura loses her image of the old him and she sees a boy. A boy who looks like a boy, who talks like a boy, who dreams like a boy.

Sasuke's eyes drop down to hers and he grits his teeth, evidently expecting a blowout.

But Sakura sighs.

"Yeah," she says seriously. "You could'a been. You really could'a been."

Sasuke's face stays emotionless but he turns his face away.

"What are his orders?"

Sakura lets out a sigh of relief. "Take care of Gato. I'll hold back Zabuza and Haku."

"Can you?" Sasuke responds immediately. "You've been out of combat this whole time. Are you ready for an S-rank and an A-rank?"

"Who knows," Sakura replies steadily. "But-"

"I could take care of them," Sasuke replies, voice just as controlled.

"You could," Sakura says measuredly, "And that's why you _won't. _Because you'd 'take care of them'. I'd _hold them back. _He doesn't want them dead, Sasuke."

Sasuke tenses at his name, an obvious curling up of the muscles, the darkening of the eyes.

"What about what _I _want?"

Sakura opens her mouth but Sasuke cuts her off with a snort.

"Don't pull that bullshit about it being about Konoha and not us. I've had enough of that over the years already. Whatever. Fuck this."

Sasuke turns to run but Sakura shunshin's over to his side and grabs his arm in an iron grip.

"…I'm sorry," she says quietly, locking eyes with him.

Sasuke grits his teeth but doesn't look away.

"Don't worry about it Sakura," he says, uncharacteristically soft. "It's not your fault. It never has been. It's always been _Konoha."_

Sakura's grip slackens in surprise and Sasuke slips away.

* * *

**Sasuke**

Sasuke pauses, flittering at the top of the canopy above Sakura. He watches as Zabuza and Haku emerge, revealing that they'd been eavesdropping on their whole conversation. Sakura does the usual whole tough girl act.

Sasuke frowns.

Sakura's never been tough. She may seem it on the outside, but there's a certain mettle which defines shinobi – a mettle ingrained in experience and suffering. Suffering that only he and Naruto understands.

Zabuza confronts Sakura about escaping his prison. Sakura, seemingly fed up with the whole conversation, attacks.

But perhaps, Sasuke muses, Sakura's always been a different kind of strong. A strong built on the good experiences – the love and the desire to protect. The strong built on steady foundations. The strong that only someone like Naruto could express so fully.

And perhaps that's why Naruto's always been the stronger one. He was the combination of him and Sakura, the better, holistic version of the two. Naruto had been through suffering and had come out stronger because of it, yet he also held that unwavering capacity for love.

Sasuke takes one look at Sakura valiantly fighting the two.

She was wrong. He could never have been Hokage.

A sickening punch from Sakura shatters the earth and Sasuke takes that as his cue to leave. Sakura will survive. She'll make sure of it, or he and Naruto will.

Sasuke jumps away from the splintering trees and hurries down the path to the village before pausing.

Where is he going exactly?

He'd overheard Zabuza and Haku saying that Gato had finally gotten sick of the opposition from Tazuna and co. So he'd sent them to take care of the shinobi detail while Gato's cheaper civilian thugs got to destroying the bridge.

So Naruto's at the village, at the bridge, Sakura's at the forest, and he's…

On the path in between both.

Sasuke turns his gaze up to the sky. The sun is rising eastwards, splitting the sky with red. If he follows it he'll eventually get back to Fire, and then he'd be able to hightail it out of here. On the other hand he could go West, stow away on a boat and make a new life for himself in Kiri.

Letting out a shallow breath, Sasuke closes his eyes, deactivates his sharingan and listens.

He can hear the birds chirping, light morning songs. He can hear the soft wind, rustling the leaves in the trees around the path. He can hear the early morning chatter of a village ready for revolution.

Everything is different this time around – everything's _changed. _There were no birds before. Or maybe there were, but they'd all flown to a place far away from the fighting. Wind was never a good sign – people had begun to associate it with wildfires, uncontrollable, burning down villages, and even his own Amaterasu.

There was no revolution during the war. People had simply lost hope. They were tired, and the shinobi world finally seemed to have reached a place of no return.

Maybe there was more to this planet then he knew. Maybe there were other countries out there, that didn't have shinobi. A drunk traveller had once said something about a new powder, new weapons, in lands far away.

Maybe he could finally escape.

A scream jolts him out of his reverie.

It comes from the direction of the forest.

Sasuke tenses immediately and blood begins rushing through his head, through his hands, and he's reaching for his kunai, his knees are locking ready to spring forward-

_That was not Sakura, _he reassures himself, _it sounded masculine. Definitely. _

But then again – could he tell? Screams were just generally high-pitched in general. And Sakura screams like a fangirl.

But does she? This time around?

Sasuke growls. There are too many thoughts floating around his head and he's too frazzled to sort them out.

It's not Sakura, right?

But then again, Haku does sound kinda girly.

Maybe he should check.

Sasuke bites down harshly on his tongue.

_No._

There's another scream and Sasuke relaxes. Definitely Haku.

He curses himself. What had he been thinking? Had he actually been _worried? _God knows.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke quickly locks onto Gato's signature and follows it. The bastard is still at his base, no doubt drinking cocktails or something idiotically civilian like that.

But it doesn't matter, he supposes. He'll make quick work of him.

Sasuke stops outside Gato's base and peers in through the window. It seems as if most of Gato's power has gone towards the village, demolishing the bridge. He can still sense the wild bursts of chakra coming from the forest, indicating Sakura's battle with Zabuza and Haku.

Shrugging, Sasuke sticks his kunai into the lock and snaps it open quietly. Sliding the door open, he makes his way down the familiar empty hallways. He can sense two chakra signatures just in front, guarding the door to Gato's private chambers.

Sasuke stops attempting to muffle his footsteps, instead choosing to blatantly walk towards where Gato is resided. As expected, the two guards shuffle away from the door to Sasuke.

He pauses. He could just slip past them, but then again, it's been awhile since he's had some… fun.

Sasuke smirks, hands clenching and unclenching experimentally.

The guards round the corner with their daggers drawn. They look better than the average guards – Gato's personal body guards most likely. They would've proved a good challenge to any civilian brave enough to cross them, even maybe for Sakura and Naruto at this age before.

Too bad they don't know who they're going against.

"Hello," Sasuke greets politely.

They pause and look at each other. Then one begins laughing and the other follows.

"Look!" The first manages between guffaws, "It's another one of 'em brats!"

"Another one of them brats…" Sasuke muses. "The same 'brats' that managed to escape last time?"

This sobers them up instantly. The first raises his dagger and smirks at Sasuke.

"One warning," he says, "Leave now and we'll spare you. What're you even doing here anyway?"

Sasuke opens his mouth to respond but the first charges forward, laughing.

"Ha!" he laughs, "Tricked ya didn't I? You ain't got a choice! You gonna _die!"_

Sasuke smiles. They've just made it all the more painful to them.

His eyes begin to whirl, bleeding into the sharingan. This stills them both for a second, mystified by his new eyes.

"Goodnight," Sasuke smiles, and the two opposite drop down unconscious.

Sasuke steps over them gingerly. He'll deal with them later. By the time he's done with Gato they should wake up.

Turning the corner, Sasuke sees that Gato's door is wide open. The magnate is sitting in his chair, back facing the open door. He holds his cocktail up into the air at Sasuke's footsteps.

"Good work buddies!" Gato calls out. "That was quick!"

Sasuke smirks, twirling his kunai around his finger.

Gato pauses at the lack of response. "Jun?"

He swivels around on his chair and Sasuke's sharingan spins.

"You-" Gato splutters, scampering back in his chair, "You're not-"

"Jun?" Sasuke smirks, "No. I'm not."

He stops twirling his kunai, catching it sharply in his palm.

"Don't- please don't-" Gato shrieks. His cocktail slips through his sweaty hands and crashed onto the ground, sending shards of glass everywhere.

Sasuke frowns. "That wasn't very nice, was it?"

"No," Gato says, shaking his head quickly. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry- where are- _Jun!"_

Sasuke eyes the fat man carefully. Civilians – business men, especially – are a bit different to others. He could kill him the shinobi way, but the bastard would probably find the jutsus exciting. Gato wouldn't care for going out through genjutsu either. No. He'd do this the _civilian _way.

Sasuke begins advancing, raising his kunai in the air. Gato takes this moment to choose to escape, quickly scrambling out of his chair.

But the doorway is only so big. Sasuke reaches out and grabs the businessman on the collar. Then he wrenches him towards him and pushes him down onto the ground.

Sasuke looks down at the business man.

"Sorry," he says unapologetically. "I don't actually have anything against you. Maybe I should even thank you, considering you got me my sharingan. Though I suppose that would have happened eventually anyway. Well, whatever. Orders are orders. And they're to be followed. Especially if they're ordered by _Konoha."_

He spits the last words out and Gato flinches.

He's going to make this slow, Sasuke thinks grimly. After all, he's got to give those guards outside some time to wake up.

He begins with a shallow slit at Gato's neck. The business man begins to cry.

"Sshhh," Sasuke coos. "That's only going to make the blood flow faster."

Gato attempt to stifle his cries but it only ends up with him hiccupping, eyes frenzied in fright. It doesn't help either – the blood begins to gurgle faster.

Even so, the slit is small. He'll take quite a while to bleed out. Maybe in the meantime Sasuke can start with the fingers-

A kunai whizzes past him and slashes Gato's heart, killing the man instantly.

Sasuke tenses, fingers tightening their hold on Gato's shirt before dropping the man. His dead body rolls unceremoniously onto the floor.

Behind him, Naruto's clone stands with his arms crossed.

"Still the same I see," Naruto says tightly. "When little Sasuke can't deal with his emotions he goes out and murders things."

"Still the same I see," Sasuke spits back, "Can't stomach a bit of violence."

Naruto snorts, uncrossing his arms. "You really wanna go there?"

"Why are you here?" Sasuke cuts in sharply. "I'm in no mood to deal with your happy shit."

Naruto raises an eyebrow. "Happy shit? Do you really believe that? Do you really think, Sasuke, that I'm happy? That Sakura is? That you are?"

"Why, are, you, _here," _Sasuke repeats tightly.

Naruto stands up squarely. "Inari and the village have stopped Gato's thugs. Sakura's incapacitated Zabuza and Haku. The moment I disperse I'll tell her to let them go and explain everything. Plus… Kakashi woke up."

Sasuke looks to the side, ignoring Naruto's last words.

"Well then, you should take the money he was going to pay them. Give it to them."

Naruto frowns, unfurling his arms in confusion. "Why?"

"Because," Sasuke sighs, "They're not going to leave you alone unless you give something back. Last time it was your whole inspirational revolutionary speech. That can't happen this time, so unfortunately you're gonna have to deal with money."

Naruto pauses, evaluating Sasuke's words before nodding sharply. "Alright," he concedes. "I'm going to disperse now. And _you. _Come back."

Sasuke snorts.

In front of him, Naruto softens.

"Please," he says quietly. "I need you. Sakura needs you. Team- Team _7 _needs you."

And then the clone disperses.

* * *

**Naruto**

Naruto fiddles with his hands guiltily.

"So let me recap," Kakashi says steadily. "I 'collapsed' so you took me to Tazuna's house. His daughter named Tsunami took care of me, and _her _son Inari is currently staging a revolution."

One of Naruto's clones pops out and he winces.

"Actually," he amends, "The revolution's finished. We won"

"Right," Kakashi snorts. "So Sakura's off holding back Zabuza, Sasuke's taking care of Gato himself and your kage bunshin are taking care of the village."

Naruto flinches.

"I know it sounds unbelievable-"

"I can't believe I'm not in a genjutsu," Kakashi murmurs, feeling the bump on his head.

"-but once Sakura gets back, and if Sasuke comes back too, we'll explain it. I promise."

"If?" Kakashi picks up quickly, eyeing Naruto steadily. "_If _Sasuke comes back? And _once _Sakura comes back? You're tricking me. All three of you. Pranking me. There's no way Sakura's taking on Zabuza. No way. I'm not falling for your tricks. You know what? Where's my Icha Icha? I've got a lot of catching up to do."

Naruto purses his lips. Kakashi sighs and lifts up his headband. His sharingan spins, looking for genjutsu again, but there is none.

"That's bad for you," Naruto murmurs, "You need to use it sparingly."

"You know what it is?" Kakashi asks, pulling his headband back down. "You know what it does? You're strangely calm."

"The sharingan," Naruto winces. "…Sasuke has it too."

Kakashi narrows his eyes. "Does he?"

"Yes," Naruto breathes.

Kakashi pushes himself off the bed and grabs his weapons pouch, strapping it to his side. Naruto can feel the pull of his second hiraishin kunai which he'd slipped into his sensei's weapons pouch. So if his sensei tries to run…

"Sasuke's with Gato," Kakashi says slowly, "and Sakura's with _Zabuza."_

Naruto nods. He hadn't bothered mentioning Haku because, well, why make things more complicated than they already are?

Another one of his clones pop. Naruto lets out a shallow breath – Sakura's heading back. Sasuke too, if they're lucky.

Kakashi peers out of the window. The villagers are in the square, celebrating. A few of Naruto's clones are dancing along with them.

"Alright," Kakashi decides. "It looks like there's no immediate danger here. I'm going to get your two teammates out of trouble and finally figure out what trick you all are going to play. This was extremely inappropriate behaviour Naruto, and the Hokage will hear about it. It is a mission and you're all supposed to behave professionally. Not to mention with the threat of Gato and his mercenaries around you shouldn't all be hiding from me. I'm extremely disappointed with you all."

"Kakashi-sensei-" Naruto tries again, but suddenly his sensei disappears.

Naruto groans – Sakura had explicitly said that their sensei was in no shape for strenuous activity. He'll have to hiraishin to him.

Making sure that his clones are staying with the villagers, Naruto hiraishins to his sensei.

Naruto topples over him again and he's beginning to see why his father decided only to hiraishin over when people threw the kunai.

Luckily his sensei has better reflexes than Sakura and he grabs Naruto by the waist, spinning him onto his feet before plopping him onto the floor.

Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto looks around. They're on the isolated path away from the village, surrounded by a canopy of trees.

"_Naruto_," Kakashi hisses, uncharacteristically frenzied. "What was _that?"_

Naruto gulps before peering around the taller body of his sensei. Sakura's standing behind him with her arms crossed, a few splatters of blood across her shirt. Sasuke's there too, arm entwined with Sakura's. It looks like a friendly gesture but the steely look in Sakura's eye confirms his suspicions – she's doing it so he doesn't bolt.

Finally Naruto turns back to his sensei and shrugs. "Hiraishin?"

"Look," Sasuke cuts in suddenly, "I'm not good with words, so why don't I just show you eh? Sakura. Move your arm."

Sakura narrows her eyes but doesn't move. Sasuke shrugs and then his arm begins to buzz with lightning.

"Chidori-" Kakashi begins, eye widening in surprise before he reaches over and yanks Sakura away.

The lightning is blazing on Sasuke's arms, his sharingan is spinning lazily. The light illuminates the path, casting millions of shadows across the path.

"How-" Kakashi begins, but then his eyes drop down to Sakura's badly burnt arm.

"Sensei-" Sakura says quickly, stopping him before he can say anything. The burnt flesh on her arm begins to knit itself back together, accelerating the healing process. Kakashi is watching them both with shaking eyes.

"Well," Naruto sighs, "Since the two of you have gone ahead…"

He melds his chakra into his hands and his rasengan formulates.

"Minato…" Kakashi breathes, staggering backwards.

Sakura reaches forward and helps sit their sensei down on a nearby rock.

"He's in shock," she murmurs, turning back to her two teammates.

Sasuke's chidori fizzles out and he sniffles. Naruto shrugs and his rasengan fades out too.

Sakura begins rubbing comforting circles on their sensei's back.

"What's happening?" Kakashi breathes, "_Why-"_

"Kurama," Naruto says suddenly. "Or as you know him, the nine-tailed fox."

Kakashi's eyes snap up.

"He knows a jutsu," Naruto begins carefully.

Kakashi snorts, incredulous. "An _overpowering _jutsu? That. Doesn't. Exist."

"Of course it doesn't," Sakura reassures gently.

"But you know what _does?" _Sasuke spits. "I'll tell you. God knows the other two are going to take millions of years to spit it out. You can handle it. We don't have to break it to you slowly. We time-travelled. From twenty years in the future. There. Now you know."

Kakashi stands up. "_No."_

"Yes," Sasuke shoots back. Sakura is staring at him desperately but Sasuke ploughs on.

"We know that your sensei was the Fourth. We know that you got your sharingan from Obito, and that you killed your other teammate Rin because she was made a jinchuuriki. We know that that's how you gained your mangekyou. In the future you're Hokage. In the future _Naruto _makes bloody Hokage. Sakura becomes Head of Root – didn't expect that, did you? Ha! She's also a medic nin, and she runs Konoha hospital. I'm ANBU Commander. And T&amp;I? I know all about _that_ too. Ibiki likes me, you know? Speaking of Ibiki, you think he has scars? You haven't seen _anything. _And _Naruto. _Ha! _Naruto. _You won't believe the things-_"_

"Sasuke _stop!" _Sakura screams, echoing throughout the empty forest path.

Sasuke stills, breathing heavily. Naruto winces and Kakashi sits there, shell-shocked. The calm chirping of the birds is starkly loud.

"You're overloading him," Sakura heaves, "You're overloading _me. _Just- just stop!"

Naruto lets out a shaky breath.

"I'll tell you why we're so strong. We _had _to be. There were wars, Kakashi. _Wars. Plural! _And- I think you know what a war does to you, eh? Well. We had _two_. One when we were just _kids – _one which is coming _soon! _And you need to accept that. And you need to _trust _us. Because we can- because we're _going to _help."

All three stare expectantly at Kakashi.

"…Look," their sensei finally says, shaking off Sakura's arm as he stands up. "I'm going to think about this. I will come and see you in a moment. I just need some time to digest all of this. As you may understand, it's not what one expects when they go on a C-rank with their team of _genin. _God. _Genin._"

"Of course," Naruto says immediately. Sakura shoots him a look but he palms his weapons pouch, indicating that he's got their sensei tracked.

"Very well," Sakura says smoothly, withdrawing back. "We will be safe. You won't need to worry about us."

Kakashi gives them a stiff nod before disappearing. Sakura has her eyes narrowed in concentration, probably trying to keep track of their sensei. The three stand in tense silence before she relaxes, turning back to the rest of Team 7.

"Naruto," she says quickly. "If he approaches the Hokage…"

"You may alter his memory," Naruto concedes.

Sakura gives a tense nod. "Alright."

Naruto swallows. "Good."

"Fine."

The three fall back into silence.

"Gods this is killing me," Sasuke grumbles, rolling his eyes.

"Can- can you turn it off?" Sakura grits out, gesturing to his sharingan.

Sasuke sneers maliciously, turning to Sakura and leaning forward, sending chakra to his eyes to make them spin faster.

"Why?" he sneers, "Little bit of red scare-"

"For god's sake!" Sakura bursts out. "It's bad for you! Do you want to die early?!"

Sasuke pauses, nose wrinkling in confusion.

Sakura rolls her eyes and pushes him away. Sasuke stumbles back, eyes melting back to black.

Sakura glares at him and he glares back.

Then Naruto giggles.

Both his teammates whirl on him and he holds his hands up innocently, biting his lip to suppress a smile.

"Sorry, sorry," he says, breaking out into a smile. "Just – it's different you know? It's always been Sasuke getting up in my face, but now it's Sakura – not that I'm complaining."

"What?" Sasuke snorts, "You want me to get up in your face? I can do that. I'm sure I can muster up a _little_ ounce of malicious intent towards you."

Naruto backs up, lips twitching up into a grin. "A little? And hey! I said not that I'm complaining!"

Sasuke begins advancing menacingly and Naruto laughs. "Not that I'm complaining! Not that I'm complaining I said not that I'm-"

"Be quiet Naruto," Sakura says, rolling her eyes. But she's smiling too, head ducked. "And you Sasuke, stop antagonising him. I'd thought you'd both matured over the years but evidently…"

"It's the hormones!" Naruto declares. "All the hormones."

Sakura's face turns red. "As if _you _can tell _me _about _hormones!"_

Naruto stills, cocking his head in confusion. "What?"

"Oh my god," Sasuke mutters. "_Naruto. _Girl. Her age. _Girl. Her age."_

"What?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes exasperatingly. "Think! Here's a clue. _Blood. _And it'll be yours soon if keep on antagonising her."

"Oh my god," Naruto says.

"_Yeah," _Sasuke sighs. "_Finally."_

Sakura smiles, biting her lip to stop herself from grinning openly. Finally, she turns tentatively towards her two boys.

"Truce? For now?"

Naruto almost screams _'yes!' _but he knows that such overwhelming enthusiasm is not always appreciated, especially amongst the last member of their group.

"Of course," he chooses to say instead, entwining his fingers with hers. "…Sasuke?"

Sasuke scoffs, turning away from the two of them. "I expected better of the Root Commander. Define 'for now'. Isn't that the whole idea of politics?"

"Oh for god's sake Sasuke," Naruto sighs, reaching out and wrenching their last teammate into their circle. "We've just stayed a record minute without fighting. Can we just- can we just _enjoy _it? Just for now?"

Sasuke sighs but the corner of his lips twitch upwards.

"…for now," he concedes. "But for the record, I still hate Konoha."

"We know," Sakura nods, reaching out and entwining his fingers too so that all three are joined. "We _know. _Sometimes- sometimes I do too. I do too."

The two stare expectantly at Naruto.

"Well," he says sheepishly, "Maybe- maybe sometimes."

Sakura giggles. "Look at us. Bonding over mutual hate. I feel like I'm eight again, bitching about Ami with Ino."

"You guys were a piece of work," Sasuke winces, but he doesn't tug his hand away.

Sakura scoffs, turning to Naruto for support but the blonde smiles guiltily.

"…you guys kind of were."

"Hey!" Sakura says offended, but Sasuke quirks an eyebrow and she relents.

"Fine. Maybe we were. But only a little bit."

"Only a little bit," Naruto nods.

He squeezes their hands and blinks rapidly, trying to push back the tears.

"I've missed this," he says quietly.

"…I have too," Sakura whispers.

Sasuke stays obstinately silent but Naruto can feel his sweaty palm, warm, and the racing heartbeat jumping at the base of his wrist.

"Team 7 for now?" Sakura asks tentatively.

"…Team 7 for now," Sasuke agrees quietly.

* * *

**AN: **So yeah, like I said, a bit of a filler. But hopefully next one will be better, if I can properly pull together the Kakashi confrontation. I know I delayed writing it with all this Wave business but I will get to it. So far my plan is thinking - one chapter to tie up loose ends, and the one after that we can get onto the chuunin exams, which I'm quite excited to write!

Thanks to all those who left comments: **Enbi, The Truth of Words, Enigma infinite, usaginekohime, OhNoItsDog, SilverWhiteDragon, Shen, AkikoMiko, Bananarock509, Guest, Lonely Athena, skylaa555, The Last Deathly Guardian, sagar hussein, Shinen no Hikari, fascalia, Completely Confunded, martian-general-bookworm, Lilyzinha, Sherbet Mayhem, Claire, Foxykyuu15, Guest, bloodied pack alpha, StealthyPeacock, Dis-app-ointed **and **NarutoXHonoka. **

I'd love to hear what you guys thought, but most of all, hope you enjoyed this chapter x


	16. The Great Naruto Bridge

**AN: **So this one didn't take as long as the last one thankfully :)

* * *

_**The Great Naruto Bridge**_

* * *

**Naruto**

"…so if you soak it in water for half an hour – I know it stinks – but it does _wonders _for the common cough."

Naruto sits at the table, cup of hot chocolate in his hands. In front of him Sakura and Tsunami are fluttering around, Sakura instructing the older woman on new uses for the herbs they have at Wave.

A book on sealing is open on the desk before him – he'd sealed it in a storage scroll on the rare chance he'd get bored, but he also didn't want to risk anything valuable so it's not the best of resources. He knows most of the things in it already – some in fact, he's improved on. But it's good to jog the theory part of his brain. At least, that's what Sakura says.

He can sense the muted chakra of Sasuke, rhythmically training in the backyard. Sasuke's gotten better, admittedly, but he still can't seem to bring himself to be too close with him and Sakura. Most of the time he's out there training, exerting himself physically through taijutsu – the small town of Wave wouldn't be able to handle his ninjutsu training. So at least he's being considerate, Naruto supposes.

Then to the side is the even more hidden chakra signature of Kakashi. He hadn't been able to sense him and Sakura barely managed to – their sensei is an S-rank ninja and admittedly, they often forget that. Especially since they all remember Kakashi as the lazy Hokage who made poor Shizune run around all the time, retiring comfortably in his older age. That had been during the complacent years between the wars.

In front of him Sakura tenses minutely and Naruto narrows his eyes. Out in the backyard, Sasuke's chakra signature stills before moving in.

"Tsunami-san," Sakura says quietly under her breath. "It may be best if you took Inari and Tazuna out for a walk now."

The civilian is barely able to manage her surprise but Sakura's steely look reinforces her message and Tsunami nods.

"There's no… trouble, is there?"

"Of course not," Sakura says smoothly. "Just some student-teacher things we have to get out of the way."

Tsunami nods and calls for the rest of their family. Naruto closes his sealing book and slides it to the side before getting up and pulling out three other seats. Sakura sits down silently next to him.

Kakashi waits until Tsunami's chakra signature has departed the house before appearing outside the window, face emotionless.

Sakura swallows harshly before standing up, walking towards the window. She freezes a second later as Sasuke appears at the doorway.

"Good morning," Sasuke nods.

"Good morning," Sakura nods back civilly. She stands rigidly still as Sasuke saunters past her to the window, swinging the hatch open.

Kakashi nods at his three genin. "Thank you. I wouldn't have wanted to break the window."

"You could've used the door," Sakura sighs, "But then again, that's not you."

Kakashi's face barely moves but Naruto can tell from the slight tightening of the muscle in his jaw that he's perturbed by the fact that she seems to know so much about him.

"Have a seat," Naruto nods, making sure to project as much authority into his voice as possible. He'd struggled with doing so in the first few years of his Hokage-ship, but years of being a wartime Kage had changed that. The action comes naturally now, and Kakashi seems to recognise it.

Sakura slips back into her seat next to him and Sasuke into the one on the other side. Cautiously, Kakashi approaches the chair placed opposite them.

"It's not trapped," Sasuke says, rolling his eyes. "If we were going to kill you we'd have done it already."

"Sasuke," Sakura sighs exasperatingly, "You're _not _helping."

Naruto watches Kakashi carefully, notes the way their sensei is observing them as much as they are observing him.

"I didn't go to the Hokage," Kakashi begins, taking a seat.

"I know," Naruto nods.

"No," Kakashi says, "You _don't. _I know you tagged me with your kunai – I was a student of your father's. I tied it to a squirrel."

Naruto quirks an eyebrow. Sasuke makes a huffed noise of approval.

"Good," Naruto nods. "But I _know _you're my father's student. I can sense its movements – which is why my father could teleport there when it was thrown. I _know _that you're trying to trick me. I know that it's in your weapons pouch."

Kakashi leans back in his chair, seemingly casual but his hand rests dangerously close to his kunai pouch.

"Good," he echoes. "Now, let's cut to the chase, shall we? Tell me what happened – from the _beginning."_

"I would _love _to," Sakura curls, and Naruto looks over at her in surprise. She lifts her finger slightly, warning him off. Next to him Sasuke bristles too, silently letting their teammate continue.

"But then again," Sakura continues, leaning forward, "You're expecting me too." She turns around and eyes her two teammates pointedly, and even after all these years they get the point immediately.

"Of course," Naruto chuckles, and Kakashi frowns. "You haven't changed at all Kakashi-sensei. Your tests never end, do they?"

Next to him, Sasuke's lips curl into a smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kakashi says, the perfect mixture of flippant and detached. A perfect lie. Their sensei is a strong shinobi when he's being challenged, and perhaps they'd never appreciated that when they were genin.

"You knew we had the physical capabilities to back up our claim," Naruto says, "But there could have been a myriad of factors to account for that. Our knowledge too – a rare combination, but you thought it was possible that we'd gotten them using other means. Very unlikely but... possible."

"Do I though?" Kakashi cuts in, "Do I know you have these supposed abilities?"

"Yes," Sasuke says sharply. "You do. Because I know you went and had a talk with Zabuza and Haku."

Naruto manages to suppress his surprise and so does Sakura, but so many years in tune to each other mean that they both know the other is as well. The same with Kakashi's little ticks – a small raising of the eyebrow in the covered eye, leading to a tiny tug at his mask.

"Oh?" Kakashi says measuredly.

"Yes," Sasuke repeats. "I had my summons follow you around."

"You have a summoning contract?" Sakura cuts in sharply in surprise. "But- no. The sna-"

Sakura shuts her mouth sharply and Naruto lets out a small exhale of relief – they can't afford to let the information about Orochimaru slip.

"A different one," Sasuke explains cautiously. "The Uchiha were happy to get me a bird summoning – Itachi had his ravens, I simply asked for my hawks. They were dutifully mine."

"Do they know…" Naruto begins cautiously.

"No," Sasuke says steadily.

"Right," Sakura nods, absorbing the information.

"_Anyway_," Sasuke sighs, "I had them follow you around and I know Zabuza and Haku corroborated our story. So the only aspect missing in order for you to believe us was one – whether or not we had the mental maturity of the age we claimed to be. And you knew that if we had really been through two wars-"

"We would not tell you anything," Naruto finishes, eyeing his sensei steadily. "You lose many things in the war. Alliances."

"Trust," Sakura adds, glancing sideways at Sasuke.

"Family," Sasuke shoots back.

"Yourself," Naruto interrupts, cutting off his two teammates. "You lose yourself, until you can only define yourself by the others around you. You can come out of one war stronger. You come out of two dead. Dead inside. You knew that if what we had claimed to have happened really did, we wouldn't trust you. But there's more than that – there're bonds. And we _do _trust you, because we were close in the future."

Kakashi closes his eyes and takes deep breaths, in and out. It's a good sign Naruto supposes – you don't close your eyes in front of potential enemies.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura tries, a fraction gentler, "What Sasuke said was right. Naruto was the Hokage – a wartime Hokage – and kyuubi of a willing Kurama. A _willing _Kurama. I was head of Konoha hospital – a cover for my many meetings with Naruto because I took care of a darker side of Konoha – a side you're quite familiar with."

"Root," Sasuke sighs.

Kakashi's gaze snaps to Sakura and she bristles but keeps her head up.

"It's a necessary position," she defends, "But that's not the point. Sasuke- Sasuke is- was- he was ANBU Commander. Naruto's right-hand man. He also helped Ibiki in T&amp;I. His experiences as a missing- I mean- he was good at it. The sharingan helped. We're all- we're all-"

She breaks off, and Naruto finds that he can't find anything to say too. What _are _they? After everything they've all been through – what _are _they?

Kakashi stands up suddenly, seemingly made up in his mind.

"I know who you are," he decides.

Naruto looks up in surprise, almost insecure for the first time in many years.

"You," Kakashi begins, walking around the table towards their side, "are Team 7."

Naruto tenses in shock. Next to him, Sasuke stiffens and Sakura lets out a muffled squeak.

"…_what?" _Sasuke asks, hands curling into fists.

"You're Team 7," Kakashi says, shrugging as if everything is all normal. He leans forward and ruffles Sakura's hair and she squeaks again.

"I don't know the specifics, but I think I know enough," Kakashi says with his familiar devil-may-care attitude. "I know enough that I know I don't want what happened to happen. So you, Team 7, have got your sensei in your corner."

And despite all of Naruto's efforts he can feel his eyes begin to tear. Next to him Sakura has begun sniffling – quite uncharacteristic of her – and Sasuke has his head ducked, hands trembling.

Kakashi leans forward and smiles, and it's like their team photo all over again.

"Thanks sensei!" Naruto blubbers, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve.

"No problem," Kakashi grins, and he reaches over and ruffles his hair.

"For now, let's just all go home and enjoy some nice, uneventful D-rank missions."

"…not Tora," Sasuke mumbles.

"Of course not," Kakashi reassures.

"Gardening? With- with Ino-chan?"

"Whatever you want Sakura," Kakashi placates.

Naruto feels as if his heart is about to tear out of his chest. He jumps out of his chair and looks up – and for the first time in a long, long time their sensei is actually taller than him. And he looks large, protective, as if he's the adult and they're really just _children._

Naruto launches himself at Kakashi, wrapping his arms around him in a hug. For a second Kakashi tenses in surprise but then he relaxes. Sakura hurtles into him next and Kakashi chuckles, rubbing the top of both of their heads.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asks, glancing over at the lone boy, "You coming?"

Sasuke scoffs. Naruto swivels around and glares at his teammate.

"For fuck's sake we're in a truce _embrace _it."

Kakashi's jaw drops in surprise. "Language!" he shouts.

Sakura throws her head back in laughter and Sasuke sighs, rolling his eyes.

"You guys are pathetic losers."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto grins, "Well we're _your _pathetic losers."

"Oh my god," Sasuke sighs. "I can't believe you just said that."

"Oh really?" Naruto challenges, "Well-"

"Don't say it," Sakura says quickly.

But Naruto grins.

"_Believe it dattebayo!"_

* * *

**Sakura**

"What do you think?" she asks tentatively, giving Sasuke a cautious glance.

Sasuke shrugs. "It's the kind of thing that he would like, isn't it?"

"Yes," Sakura says, smiling to herself. "It is."

Sasuke leans back in his chair, watching all of Naruto's clones cleaning up after the celebration. The entire village had put together a large festival for the great unveiling of the newly completed bridge. And even though he and Inari were the men of the hour, Naruto had volunteered to take care of all of the clean-up duty.

"Hey guys!" Naruto shouts.

Sakura looks up – their teammate – the real one – is waving at them from on top of the bridge. He leaps of the edge and cannonballs into the water, shaking his hair as he rises before beginning to swim over.

"He's got a lot of energy," Sakura observes amusedly.

"All teenage boys do," Sasuke responds, rolling his eyes.

"Oh yeah? 'Cause I distinctly remember a certain _someone _who used to stand around like a rock all the time."

"Can you blame me?" Sasuke shoots back, "if I even moved a tiny bit you and Ino would start squealing."

"Those were the good times," Sakura nods.

"For _you_," Sasuke grumbles.

"Hey guys!" Naruto grins, jumping out of the water. He leans against the commemorative sign, erected by a proud Inari – 'Here stands the Great Naruto Bridge'.

"Naruto," Sakura smiles. "Where's Kakashi?"

"Packing up," Naruto grins back. "He's got a lot of mission reports to do, especially since this turned into an A-rank."

"Mission reports," Sakura repeats, frowning.

"Yeah," Naruto shrugs. "Why?"

"Nothing," she says quickly. "I gotta go now kay? You boys stay out of trouble."

Naruto rolls his eyes, pounding Sasuke on the back. The Uchiha growls and shoves him off, rolling his eyes.

"_Please _Sakura – you know us! We're never trouble."

"I wish," she huffs. "See ya later."

She gives the boys one last wave before quickly hurrying back to Tazuna's house. In the same way that their sensei's tests would never end, the games would never end either.

All three are on their way to a tentative truce but that's all it is, despite what Naruto wants – tentative. The problem with Team 7 is that they were all strong in one way – they were fuelled by their emotions. Unlike Itachi who was logical in everything they did, while Team 7 may be logical strategically, the motives behind everything they did was always deep-set in emotions. And Sasuke's deep-set hatred of Konoha will be hard to overcome. And in the meantime, she needs to make sure that nothing happens to it.

Sakura pulls the key out to the house from her pocket and unlocks the door.

"Hello Kakashi-sensei," she murmurs, giving him a nod.

Her sensei is lounging on the couch, reading his Icha Icha, though she has no doubt that before he sensed her coming he was doing something different.

"Listen," she says quietly, "There's something that you need to trust me on."

Kakashi senses the mood change immediately and slips his book into the back of his pocket.

"Me," he says.

Sakura pauses, frowning. "Yes. You."

"No," he says, shaking his head. "You said 'me', not 'us'. Why are you here alone Sakura? I thought the three of you were united?"

Sakura smiles involuntarily. "You're a very good shinobi."

"You sound surprised," Kakashi says, raising an eyebrow.

"Think about the way you would've treated us if you hadn't known our capabilities. Then _you _would have been surprised too."

"True," Kakashi shrugs before gesturing to the seat opposite him. "Now tell me. What do I need to trust you on?"

"…in your mission report," Sakura begins carefully, "In the past – you made note of Sasuke's development which occurred. He'd gained the sharingan."

Kakashi nods carefully. "Naruto has informed me that he has it, yes."

"Now," Sakura continues, "I'm sure that you're also aware that many spies have infiltrated Konoha's administrative system. Some the Hokage has tabs on, others he is still unaware of. Am I correct?"

"Mm," Kakashi nods slowly, eyeing her carefully.

"Now," Sakura says, "You're not going to make note of Sasuke's sharingan."

"Oh?" Kakashi responds, quirking an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Enemies, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura says stonily. "Strong, large, enemies."

"Konoha has many of them, yes," Kakashi nods, eyeing her carefully. "But that doesn't address why you're here by yourself."

"Enemies outside, Kakashi-sensei, but inside as well."

Sakura's eyes flitter over to where the Great Naruto Bridge stands proudly, glittering through the window.

"…I see," Kakashi says slowly. "This is a very risky game you're playing Sakura."

"I'm not the only one playing it," Sakura says wryly. "We _all _are. Naruto's not the boy Iruka describes in his reports, Kakashi-sensei. And I know you've looked over all of ours again many times after your ah… revelation. He's a smart, cunning boy, not too unlike the fox inside of him. He didn't get away with all those pranks on ANBU through sheer luck. And Sasuke's not the emotionally dependent boy that Shikaku thinks he is either. He's strong and he knows it. Naruto and I – we still have barriers. Naruto still hasn't got the cooperation of Kurama. My Strength of One Hundred seal is still weak and we all know that I wouldn't be able to match either of them in a physical battle. But Sasuke – Sasuke has… tools. Very strong tools."

"Tools capable of destroying Konoha?" Kakashi asks carefully, only visible eye glinting.

"_Capable _of," Sakura answers carefully.

Kakashi's jaw tenses and he nods.

"You were Root Commander, weren't you?"

"Yes," Sakura nods jerkily. That had always been a touchy subject in the past – it was an occupation of hers that many simply liked to ignore, sweep under the rug. But it's become a huge part of her person – it became her coping mechanism, her hold on reality after Team 7 splintered.

"How do I know you're not playing me?" Kakashi asks casually, almost as if they were talking about the weather.

Sakura nearly chokes on her air. Even though she'd knew deep down that this question would eventually be asked – it's always asked – it still hurts that someone so close to her would question her like this.

"Because," she says steadily, no hint of her inner turmoil visible, "Because Sasuke is not Obito."

Kakashi's teeth clench audibly and Sakura winces.

"Go Sakura," Kakashi says quietly.

Sakura ducks her head. "Yes sensei."

Then she pauses.

"…Sasuke's coming here," she says, voice slightly strained.

"I know," Kakashi sighs. "Go. And I mean it. Don't eavesdrop."

"Please remember what I said," Sakura says quietly, looking down at her hands. They're a pale white in comparison to her red dress and she realises what she must look like to him – a small girl with pink hair in a dress, almost playing ninja.

"I will," Kakashi says, sighing heavily.

The door opens.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke nods. "…Sakura."

"Hello," she murmurs.

"Where's Naruto?" Kakashi sighs, "You know what? Let's just go now. We've wasted enough time already. Let's go back."

"He's at the bridge," Sasuke says, eyes darting between Sakura and Kakashi. "Shouldn't we say goodbye to the villagers?"

"They know," Kakashi says. "They're waiting to see us off at the gate."

"Alright," Sasuke says carefully. "Sakura, do you want to go tell Naruto?"

"'kay," Sakura says meekly. "See ya later?"

Sasuke nods.

She takes off towards Naruto. Sasuke had sensed the atmosphere – she's sure of it – and who knows what he's saying to Kakashi now.

Most of Naruto's clones have disappeared and all the rubbish is collected in neat piles. Naruto himself is lying down on the floor, gazing up at the sun.

"That's bad for your eyes," Sakura murmurs as she stands over him, casting her shadow across him.

"Hey Sakura," Naruto says quietly. "You're back."

"Yeah," she says, smiling wryly before holding out a hand. "Come on, we're going home. Inari and everyone are waiting for you at the gate."

"Already?" Naruto sighs petulantly.

"Yes. Come on, let's go."

Naruto sighs and reaches up, grasping her hand. Sakura tugs him up and dusts off his clothes.

"You ready?" she asks quietly.

Naruto shrugs, turning his head up to look at the sun. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"…you know what's coming up next, right?"

"Yeah," Naruto sighs. "I do."

He takes a deep breath before letting it out slowly. Sakura watches her teammate, fiddles with the hem of her skirt.

"Do you-"

"Let's go," Naruto interrupts, quickly turning around and heading to the village gates. "Let's not keep them waiting eh?"

"Well, okay," Sakura says, hurrying after him, "But the chuunin exams-"

"I _know _Sakura," he sighs. "I- I _know."_

Sakura purses her lips. "What are we going to do about it?"

Naruto turns around and faces her, grasping her shoulders. "Can we just enjoy the moment? Now? Sasuke's with us-"

"But what if-"

"_Sakura," _Naruto says resolutely. "Let's just go, okay?"

Sakura narrows her eyes but acquiesces. "You should be careful Naruto. He's- he's not _twelve."_

Naruto lets go of her shoulders and smiles.

"Sakura. We're _all _twelve."

"I- I can't do that, I can't just switch my brain back to a kid-"

"You don't have to," Naruto says gently. "Why don't you try addressing things as they come? You've come back – we've all come back – to change things for the better. But that's all for nought if you don't reap your rewards. You have a second chance – _enjoy _it. What if you spend all your life trying to make sure nothing bad ever happens and you end up dying like that – never having _enjoyed _with the people we're protecting. Sure, it's our responsibility to protect them, but it's also our responsibility to take care of _ourselves."_

Sakura looks down at her hands, runs her thumb over the creases of her palms, worn out by the years of Hyuuga training.

"Think of all the people we'll meet," Naruto says, a fraction gentler. "Neji, in all his thirteen-year-old arrogance. Poor Gaara who's still in his tortured phase. Remember how we used to laugh about that afterwards? And Temari and Shikamaru's battle! Won't that be fun to watch?"

Sakura manages a tentative smile.

"Hey," Naruto grins, "It's gonna be alright, yeah? Sure, some things have changed, but you've just got to move forward. Not everything will go the way you planned."

Sakura's smile softens. "I'm sorry about Hinata."

Naruto shrugs, eyes darting the side. "It's fine. She was always too good for me."

"No," Sakura murmurs, "You were both good for each other. Give her time – she's only twelve."

"Yeah, well everyone _did _end up getting with who they thought they would at twelve-"

Naruto breaks off and Sakura knows he's thinking about him and Hinata, her and Sasuke.

"Not Ino and Sai," she chooses to say instead, "And Chouji didn't even _know _Karui, eh?"

"Yeah," Naruto sighs. "I guess."

"Let's go back to Konoha," Sakura says gently, holding out a hand. "It's not good to dwell on the past – or the future."

He takes her hand and Sakura looks off to the distant gates. She can see all of the village gathered, thanking Kakashi. To the side Sasuke stands, looking slightly out of place.

"You're right," Naruto nods. "Let's go back to Sasuke."

* * *

**Sasuke**

"Stop here," Kakashi orders.

Team 7 drops down from the treetop, landing silently on the forest path, a minute out of Konoha. They had made record time back – Kakashi had wanted to evaluate their levels physically and a run back would have shown him their stamina and speed.

"We made good time for ninja of your age. If we were to scale you in comparison, it would have probably been the run of a chuunin team. Sakura, you lagged the most, but that's to be expected. You're used to being support and with your skill sets speed shouldn't be your biggest focus. You kept up but you were struggling."

Sakura purses her lips but nods. His teammate has always hated being seen as weak in any aspect but they all know that Kakashi's words are true. Plus, it'll be good for her to get knocked down a peg or two – god knows she and Naruto have been up on a pedestal for long enough, being the 'heroes' of the war.

Kakashi turns to Naruto next.

"Naruto, you kept up, but… it wasn't really enough. I can see how you've become complacent – with techniques such as the hiraishin your actual, physical speed isn't as important. However it is something you should work on, especially if you want to be as you were before. Hubris is very dangerous and you all have it – you're all too used to being overpowered that you forget the little things."

Naruto nods, looking determined. Of course – his teammate had always taken criticism in stride, taken it as stepping stones to improvement.

"Sasuke," Kakashi muses, turning to him next. There's a strange look in his eyes and Sasuke wonders if it has anything to do with the talk he and Sakura had had. "You're definitely the fastest, unsurprising considering you were trained by Shisui, and your stamina is strong as well. The Uchiha train their children well, and you are no exception. You were very focused which is… good."

"Good," Sasuke repeats flatly. So their sensei had _no _criticism for him? That seemed… unusual.

"I'm going to report to the Hokage now," Kakashi continues. "You three can go home and do whatever you do. Evidently, some certain aspects will be missing from the mission report-"

"My sharingan," Sasuke adds hastily, and Sakura shoots him a cautious look. "Put it in."

Kakashi's visible eye narrows almost imperceptibly. "Oh?"

"Yes," Sasuke recovers quickly. "The Hokage deserves to know of the weapon now in his possession. I'm sure that would change many factors."

"…I see," Kakashi answers carefully.

Sakura is still sending him quick, indiscernible looks.

"Well then," Kakashi says, clapping his hands together. "I'll see you all tomorrow for another lovely D-rank mission. And some news, which I'm sure you all know about anyway."

"The chuunin exams," Naruto winces.

"Yay," Sakura says weakly.

"Now, I'm sure there are many things that we all need to do, but I think we all need a bit of time to ourselves, yes? I need to think over some things, evidently, and you three need to talk." He eyes each of them carefully. "Yes?"

"…talk," Sasuke repeats flatly.

Kakashi's eye glints. "Yes. I'll leave you to it then."

Sasuke frowns but their sensei shunshin's away, leaving the three of them isolated on the path.

"…well," Naruto manages to say after a few seconds of tense silence. "It's been… awhile. Hasn't it?"

Sakura nods jerkily. Sasuke clears his throat awkwardly. Sakura's gaze flips over to Naruto before moving back to him, interchanging between the two quickly. Sasuke smirks – she's worried he's going to bolt. On the other hand Naruto looks extremely relaxed and chilled, almost apathetic.

Sasuke frowns deeper. Sakura's over-thinking this whole thing heaps as usual, but why does Naruto just seem so uncaring? Has he given up on him? Does he trust him completely not to run? The obvious answer to the two questions would be no – there's no _way _that Naruto would give up on him, or be naïve enough after all these years to trust him not to bolt. But he seems so _calm. _So why?

"I reckon we should catch up a bit, you know?" Naruto begins to say. "Remember when we used to play the survival games? Us and Ino-Shika-Cho and Hinata-chan and-"

Sasuke jerks his head tersely. That had been back when Naruto was only Hokage-in-training, still not weighed down by all his responsibilities. In that small period of their life where they were all, truly, happy.

"-and me and Sasuke would just go all out and tag everyone, but then sometimes Sakura or Shikamaru would pull some genius plot and get everyone else-"

"-and the game nights at Lee's!" Sakura pipes up. "With charades or poker or-"

"-bingo!" Naruto finishes excitedly.

Sasuke scoffs. This whole thing is stupid. What is he doing anyway? God knows the two of them coming back have completely stuffed his plans. Where is he planning on going with things? They won't be easy if these two are on his back. Everything just got a whole lot more complicated. Not to mention-

"Jiraiya!" Naruto suddenly starts.

"What?" Sakura asks confusedly, cocking her head.

"Jiraiya," Naruto repeats, and his hands begin to shake. "I can sense _Jiraiya."_

Sakura narrows her eyes. "But I can't-"

"Trust me," Naruto says, gripping his shirt tightly to stop himself from shaking, "I _know."_

Sasuke tenses. Because if Jiraiya's here – that means Orochimaru is too. His two teammates don't know – no, that had been something the snake sannin had disclosed to Sasuke during their times together. But it's… an _opportunity. _Because tactically it's a perfect plan – he could go and seek out the snake sannin easily, after all Kabuto's probably lurking around spying on him anyway. His two teammates would have no clue, and if he did defect Konoha might still be under the belief that he was kidnapped or forcibly removed. Which would make him in a better position to attack.

"Ino's coming," Sakura says quietly.

Sasuke glances back down the path they had come from. He can sense the steady pulse of a large chakra signature – Asuma's, presumably – and three smaller, weaker signs. It has to be Team 10, which means that Chouji and Shikamaru are back too.

Naruto and Sakura are both staring at the floor in contemplative silences, no doubt contemplating the past. It's been awhile since Naruto has seen his old mentor and Sakura her old best friend.

Sasuke scowls. Everyone knows how much Tsunade had adored Sakura, how Jiraiya and Naruto had had that special relationship that few had. Yet Orochimaru that bastard was a snake through and through. _He _never got to have a good sensei.

_Kakashi-sensei, _a small voice cuts in softly. Sasuke clamps down on it violently. To the back of them, the walking figures of Asuma, Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru appear.

Naruto waves enthusiastically. Chouji grins and waves back and Shikamaru sends them a lazy bob of the head.

"Hey guys," Asuma-sensei greets, chewing on his cigarette. "I don't think I've met you before."

He says it casually and his team seem to take it at face value but Sasuke notices the way that his eyes linger on him and Naruto – the last Uchiha and the jinchuuriki. The whole _village_ knows about the two of them.

"It's Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto right?" Asuma continues, still pretending as if this is all new to him. "You guys are Chouji and Shikamaru's friends."

"Yeah!" Naruto grins enthusiastically.

"I'm Haruno Sakura," Sakura introduces politely, sending out a demure smile and holding out her hand. She's the perfect picture of innocence and Asuma trusts her immediately, shaking her hand merrily. Of course.

"Where's your sensei?" Asuma asks, looking around the clearing.

"Oh," Naruto waves dismissively, "he went to go submit the mission report. We can just do what we like."

"Lucky," Shikamaru mumbles.

"How was your mission?" Asuma inquires politely.

Sakura's smile strains for a millisecond but she recovers so quickly that it's barely noticeable – Asuma hasn't noticed for sure. He's already been lulled into a false sense of security around her.

"A few bumps here and there, but fine overall," Sakura says evasively. "What did you do?"

Ino, who's been sending him coy looks this whole time, steps forward. "We got to go outside of the village to the farms. Mazami-san had a wild boar infestation and _we _took care of it."

Ino shifts her backpack onto her other shoulder, displaying the dried blood stains remaining on her shirt. She flashes it to him like a trophy, as if he should be proud.

Next to him, Sakura tenses. Naruto's smile drops.

"My first kill – it was _me_ who did it, you see. Those two were useless."

Naruto begins kicking up the dirt underneath his feet. Asuma seems unfazed by her comments on the outside but Sasuke has a feeling he's as disturbed as they're feeling.

"Isn't it cool?" Ino continues to press. Her two teammates seem to be uncaring too, not really understanding the meaning of her words.

Sakura shuffles over, closer to Sasuke. Ino's sharp eyes catch the motion immediately but Sakura ignores her, instead tugging at his sleeve and looking up at him with her wide, green eyes.

She doesn't say anything but he knows what she wants.

Swallowing harshly, Sasuke turns away. Sakura's hand slips off his sleeve.

"Look, Ino," he says gruffly. Ino perks up immediately, eyes shining. "Killing is not… it's not, uh… something which should be celebrated. A life is a… precious thing… and killing should only be done out of…"

"Necessity," Naruto finishes quietly, eyes uncharacteristically old and somber as he stares at Ino.

"…necessity," Sasuke nods jerkily. "Not… not…"

"Not joy," Asuma finishes, "nor revenge, nor spite, nor any other ill-will. I couldn't have said it better myself, Naruto, Sasuke. I'm sure your sensei will be impressed by your maturity."

His words of praise are only empty words to Sasuke, but Sakura is staring at him with a new look, her lips cocked up in a crooked, almost tentative smile.

"Well," Asuma-sensei says, eyeing the three genin opposite him appraisingly, "We'll be going now. I'll be sure to pass my praises onto your sensei."

"Thank you very much," Naruto says politely, covering for the speechless Sakura.

"Oi," Shikamaru says quickly, nudging Sasuke with his foot as he walks passed. "This is only temporary yeah? We'll beat you soon."

Chouji nods fervently next to him and Sasuke can't help the smirk that adorns his face. "Oh yeah?" he challenges.

Shikamaru gives him a firm nod. Asuma sensei has a pleased smile on his face.

"It's good to see some motivation in you boys," he grins, "It's been awhile since I myself have had any good, friendly competition. Well, let's go now – we'd better get back before the barbeque restaurant closes."

This rejuvenates Chouji and he whoops enthusiastically. Team 10 make their way down the path to Konoha, leaving Team 7 in the dust.

"It has been awhile since we've had friendly competition too," Naruto muses, staring up at the sky. "In fact, it's been awhile since we've had fun together, eh?"

Sasuke scowls down at the ground. Fun – he's got no time for- _fun-_

Awkwardly, Sakura steps forward to him, twiddling her thumbs in Hinata's habit which looks so uncharacteristically yet characteristically timid of her.

"Thank you," she says softly. "I- I mean- we're not close this time around but- it's nice to- I mean- because- uh-"

Seeing the old Sakura unsure of what to say is new and Sasuke isn't sure how quite to respond.

She sticks out a hand jerkily, small tint of red on her cheeks.

Sasuke clears his throat awkwardly and grasps her hand, shaking it quickly.

Suddenly Naruto has his arm around his shoulders and Sasuke can feel the blonde grinning.

"Awwkwaarrddd!" the blonde calls, cackling before thumping Sasuke on the back.

"_Naruto," _Sakura hisses, "I'm going to _hit _you."

"Please do," Sasuke grits out.

Naruto leans forward laughing, blonde hair falling over his face.

"That's it," Sakura growls. She pulls her sleeve back and lunges. Naruto's laugh turns panicked and he leaps back in a yellow flash. Now hissing, Sakura leaps off after him, shaking the earth.

"Remember where and _when _you are!" Sasuke shouts desperately. But Naruto's laughing and now so is Sakura and then Naruto's turning on _him _with a kunai raised and it is _on. _

"Don't worry," Sakura grins, eyes glinting maniacally. "I've got this. No one will disturb us. And if they do… we'll just take this elsewhere."

Naruto grins and ten clones pop up behind him. "Ready guys?"

Sasuke smirks, hands curling into his own kunai pouch. "Bring it on dobe."

Naruto smirks back. "Well then teme, let's do this."_  
_

* * *

**AN: **Okay, super pumped for the next arc which is - you guessed it - chuunin exams! I haven't written any of it yet but hopefully it'll be as exciting as it was in the original verse. Um... next chapter should be the lovely Sand Siblings confrontation, some chuunin exam drama with Kakashi and Team Gai, so hopefully lots of good stuff coming up.

Thanks to all the people who left reviews, **Enbi, Sherbet Mayhem, usaginekohime, Suzululu4moe, Guest, Enigma infinite, Guest, Furudere, Lamelinam, Star Iron, Catcrazzed, Beloved Daughter, Bananarock509, DaManKaliel, soulmaker, CrazyScythe, Matjaz, Camotaru, Maester Ta, Shadow-Shinobi666, InARealPickle, sagar hussain, ClownWhosFeelnDown, The Last Deathly Guardian, kujyou12, Vesalius-Koori, GoldenPiggy, Mistress Memoir, queen-sheep **and **proudy9. **It's great to hear all your comments, they really help me to (hopefully) make this fic better. I don't have heaps of experience developing a storyline and characters in a story this long so all this feedback is super super helpful so thanks heaps x

Thanks for reading guys, hope you all enjoyed, and leave a comment letting me know what you thought!


	17. The Chuunin Exams - I

**AN: **Really sorry guys - I know this says chuunin exams and all but... it doesn't actually happen. Yeah. Cause I forgot about the whole Iruka encounter and everything so I had to add that in, not to mention lots of other stuff that had to be going on.

Hope you all enjoy nevertheless x

* * *

_**The Chuunin Exams - I**_

* * *

**Sasuke**

Sasuke can hear them long before he sees them.

"No! It was the training ground!"

"No! The ramen stand!"

"No!"

"No!"

"_No!"_

Sasuke sighs, rubbing his temples as he peers down the village path. A rock is scrambling around conspicuously, the three figures inside peering out through large, ill-fitted, cut-out circles. Already many heads have popped out of windows, ready to shout at the trio making so much ruckus, but once all recognise Konohamaru the windows are closed and all leave the three be.

However Sasuke, for one, will not stand for such blatant _annoyance _this early in the morning – and on such an important morning too.

He waits, tapping his foot impatiently, as the three finally make their way down the path towards him.

"Shut up," he finally snaps. All three skid to a halt. Konohamaru lifts their rock covering slightly, peering distastefully up at him.

"Oi!" Konohamaru says accusingly, "Who're you? You can't lecture us!"

"Yes," Sasuke says back sharply, "I can. You little twerps. It's only seven o'clock in the bloody morning, I have a bloody meeting to get to, and all of you are disturbing me. So _shut. Up."_

Konohamaru bristles and throws off his rock covering. Udon sighs but Moegi puts her hand on her hips aggressively.

"Do you know who I am?" Konohamaru asks haughtily. "And do you know who I _know?"_

Sasuke opens his mouth to answer but Konohamaru cuts in before we can.

"I know the future Hokage – _Uzumaki Naruto!"_

Sasuke closes his mouth, eyeing the three dryly. _Of course._

"Naruto's at the training ground," Sasuke supplies.

"Oh," Konohamaru says. "Well. Thanks."

He reaches for their rock covering but Moegi stops him, peering up at Sasuke.

"Wait," she says carefully. "You're his teammate right?"

Konohamaru swirls around and peers up at him. "Yeah!" he says enthusiastically. "Are you one of boss's minions?"

Sasuke snorts. _Konohamaru _is asking _him_ if he's Naruto's lapdog.

"Just scram will you?" he says dryly.

"Oi-" Konohamaru begins, but Moegi sighs and drags him under their rock covering. For a few seconds the rock shakes, then all three speed back down the path, towards Training Ground 3.

"Idiots," Sasuke grunts before continuing his leisurely walk down the path.

This morning's an important one – all three know it. Kakashi's going to give them all the forms for the chuunin exams. If he doesn't… well…. They'll get it anyway. One way or another. Perhaps their sensei knows this already, as he didn't protest when Sakura had casually mentioned it.

Their sensei is strangely accepting of this newfound knowledge. It could be because Sakura had invited him to observe their spar yesterday - nothing like a good old threat - or maybe it's because of Asuma's glowing praise. But then again, Kakashi is a very smart man – a fact that Sasuke knows, albeit grudgingly, that he gives him little credit for. And Kakashi knows that they – Konoha – have a big set of weapons on their hands, and it wouldn't be good to displease them. In the same way that Suna currently treats a volatile Gaara is how their sensei seems to be treating them.

Sasuke sighs, looking up at the sky. For now, he's Konoha's weapon. They all are. But really – they could be anyone's weapons. What they're offering – it's immense – and all nations would be bending over backwards to get them.

So why are they staying in Konoha?

Immediately a variety of memories flood over him – the grand Uchiha compound, Shikamaru smirking and Chouji grinning, Naruto on the swing, Sakura's red dress. Team 7. Memories from a lifetime ago.

Sasuke frowns.

Orochimaru is _here, _this is an _opportunity, _so why is he…

A shout cuts his thoughts off.

Frown deepening, Sasuke reaches out with his chakra. In front of him he can sense three small signatures, barely visible – Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi – and three, much larger signatures.

Sasuke's frown curls into a smirk.

The Sand Siblings.

Well. This will be… interesting.

He can feel Naruto and Sakura close by, already heading in onto the scene – the two of them are one of the few signatures he can identify.

Increasing his pace, Sasuke hurries down the path. He can see the petrified figures of Udon and Moegi, Kankurou and Temari sneering down on Konohamaru and Gaara partially obscured by the trees.

"You little brats should watch where you're going," Kankurou scoffs, dangling Konohamaru by the hair. The small boy is trying to claw his way out but his arms aren't long enough to reach Kankurou's strong hold.

_Helpless, _Sasuke notes.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Naruto says coldly, dropping down onto the forest path.

Kankurou shoots him a withering glare. Sasuke steps to the side, hiding himself in the foliage as he observes.

"And _who," _Kankurou asks disdainfully, looking down at Naruto, "are _you."_

Admittedly, Naruto at this age _is _the shortest of them three, and even more so in comparison to the older Kankurou and Temari.

A second later, Sasuke looks up at the treetops. Sakura has been observing the conversation too, and she takes this moment to drop down onto the path next to Naruto.

"Who _he _is doesn't matter, Honourable Children of the Kazekage," she intervenes, placing emphasis on their title. Sasuke smirks – it's a smart move, showing them that she's aware of their duties and responsibilities and how they should be behaving as guests. "Who _he _is, on the other hand, does."

She gestures to Konohamaru who finally stops struggling.

"_He," _Sakura says slowly, "is the Honourable Grandson of the Sandaime Hokage."

Temari curses and Kankurou drops Konohamaru as if the boy is a piece of hot coal. He scrambles up and immediately runs over to Moegi and Udon.

Naruto cocks his head away. "Scram," he says. "I'll talk to you later."

Konohamaru manages to nod admirably before all three scamper away.

"Seeing as you were unaware of his identity," Sakura continues, "we will not be reporting this incident to the Hokage. However, as representatives of your country, I'm sure that your sensei and your superiors would be expecting you to be far better behaved than you were today. I presume we will not see a repeat of this behaviour again in the duration of your stay?"

Sakura cocks an eyebrow and the two Sand Siblings stare at her blankly, astounded that they're being lectured by a small, pink-haired genin in a dress. Sasuke smirks. Sakura's so used to pulling rank that her authoritative tone has still managed to carry through.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough," she says again.

"No," Sasuke says, dropping down from the treetops. "I think you _were_ clear enough. Kankurou-san, Temari-san, I assume that we will not need to, nor will we ever need to, bring up your behaviour with Baki-san?"

Immediately Temari narrows her eyes.

"You know of us," she says cautiously.

Sasuke eyes her evaluating. It's amazing how Konoha never picked up on the attack – the Sand Siblings sans Gaara are all easy to read. They're good for their age, sure, but not good enough to stage an invasion.

"Of course," Naruto says steadily. "You're here for the chuunin exams, are you not? One of the favourites, your team."

Kankurou crosses his arms and pushes his shoulder back, trying to intimidate the three twelve-year-olds in front of him.

"Well I don't think it's fair that you seem to know so much about _us _but we know nothing about _you."_

"So you want to know, do you?" Sakura says wistfully. Her eyes drift upwards to where Gaara is standing up on the tree, arms crossed.

"It's only fair isn't it?" Kankurou shrugs, "Now spit it out."

Naruto grins. "Uzumaki Naruto."

"Haruno Sakura."

Sasuke smirks. "Uchiha Sasuke."

The Uchiha name still holds power – the two siblings exchange a glance, recognising him as one of the few remaining Uchiha.

"We're going to win," Sakura says suddenly. The only sign of Naruto's surprise is a small twitch of his finger but the two siblings look skeptical enough.

"Look," Temari says dryly, "Trust me. We know your type. You've got one of those sensei who's all about book learning and all that. But you can't _negotiate _yourself out of a battle-"

Sasuke scoffs at this, thinking of all the times Naruto has actually done so.

"-you've just got to _win_ it. And you. Three. Can't."

It looks like Temari's words have reached a deeper, competitive, childish side of Naruto. Because he abandons his Hokage outlook and bristles, squaring his shoulder back.

"Oh yeah?" he challenges roguishly, "You sure?"

Sasuke can see the rasengan beginning to form in the palm of his hand and grins. Surprisingly, Sakura doesn't say anything either, simply watching with narrowed eyes.

A small rasengan is spinning fast in his hand now, a small, dense ball of destruction.

Finally, Sakura speaks up.

"Don't let it go Naruto," she warns, "I'm not paying for path damage."

Kankurou and Temari are still staring at Naruto's hand, bemused expressions on their faces.

"Forget it," Sakura sighs, "They don't know what it is."

Naruto shrugs and the rasengan fizzles out. "Whatever. Better for me in the exam then."

Sasuke cocks an eyebrow. His two teammates are just going to give up like that?

"They'll know what _this _is," he says, and then his chidori is crackling in his hand.

"Sasuke!" Naruto admonishes, but it's half-hearted.

And he's right – Temari and Kankurou recognise the crackling ball of lightning in his hand for what it is.

"Uchiha," Kankurou scoffs.

Sasuke bristles.

"Naruto," he grits out, "May I slam this into him?"

"Sasuke," Naruto sighs.

"Slam it into me," Sakura jokes, "After all, you've done it enough times already."

Kankurou whirls on her in surprise. "He has?"

Temari sighs. "Don't be so gullible Kankurou. They're only genin."

"_You're _only genin-" Sakura begins, but then Sasuke lunges forward. He lets most of the strength fizzle out before it slams into Sakura's arm.

"Oh my god," Kankurou whispers. "You're – you're _crazy."_

Sakura clenches her jaw. "Don't worry," she placates in her medic-nin voice, "He's done worse. He hasn't always been kind enough to weaken his technique."

She reaches over with her palm to heal her arm before pausing and retracting her arm. Biting her lip in concentration, green chakra begins to envelop her arm by itself, knitting the wound together.

"_What," _Kankurou spits, "is _that." _

Naruto narrows his eyes. "Kabuto's technique," he whispers.

"Look," Sakura says calmly. "You should go."

Kankurou bares his teeth but Temari tugs on his arm, sending him a look.

"That means you too," Sasuke says casually. "Gaara-san, up in the tree."

From above, Gaara narrows his eyes.

"Gaara," Temari asks cautiously, unsure of how to act.

The red-haired eyes Team 7 for a few more seconds before spinning on his feet and launching away. Temari and Kankurou share a look before leaping after their brother.

"Well," Naruto says after they've all left, "They've got a lot to talk about."

He turns back to his two teammates and cocks an eyebrow.

"And so," he continues, "do _we. _Now. _What _was _that?_"

* * *

**Sakura**

Naruto whirls on her first and she winces.

"Sorry?"

Naruto sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"Look," he says, "I'm not- _mad- _but I thought you were all for keeping the timeline predictable? And you know we've just painted a big target on our heads. Sure, it might not change much, but- _why?"_

Sakura opens her mouth and then closes it again. To be fair, even _she _isn't sure why.

"It's not _too _bad," Sasuke huffs. "I mean, Kakashi-sensei can cover for us now, can't he? Say he trained us furiously or something like that."

"Yeah," Sakura mumbles. "I mean- I just- you know what this period was like for me back then. I just don't think I can go through it so weak again. I mean – I could but I- I…"

"You don't want to," Naruto says quietly. "I get that."

Sakura lets out a shaky breath. "Yeah."

"Well," Sasuke curls, "Looks like the Root Commander's human after all."

"Of course I am!" Sakura snaps, digging her fingernails into her palms to stop herself from displaying her hurt. "I _am. _And I'm sick of people holding my job over me. I _know _what Root does and I _know _it's horrible but it's _necessary! _And you know what? Sometimes I don't like it either. There. I admitted it. Does that make you happy? Sometimes, Naruto doesn't like Konoha. Sometimes, I don't condone Root. We're _all _human Sasuke. And you know what? _You are too."_

Sasuke is frozen in his spot. Next to him, Naruto has a small smile on his face.

"Good work Sakura," a voice says from behind her.

"Crap," Sakura mutters.

"Yep," Kakashi says, striding over to where Sasuke and Naruto are stranded. "While it was a good speech and all, a shinobi never lets his guard down. You didn't sense me because you were too caught up in your emotions. And you can't let that happen – as much as the boys may hate to admit it, they need your skills."

"Yes sensei," Sakura nods. He's right – they need her skills as much as she needs theirs in battle.

"Now," Kakashi says, pulling out some forms from his pocket. "I assume you're expecting these?"

"Ah yes," Naruto winces. "Wonderful."

"Now," Kakashi says, squinting at the form, "it says… oh, lots of risk assessment stuff. Standard procedure. So. Since you're genin now you're legally considered adults, meaning that you won't need your parents' permission."

There's a brief pause.

"We don't have parents," Sasuke says flatly.

Kakashi's eyes slide over to her and Sakura squares her shoulders. She will _not _feel guilty because her parents are alive.

"Alright," Kakashi shrugs. "Here you go."

He hands the forms to Sasuke who signs for all three before handing it back to Kakashi.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to sign for anything you haven't read?" Kakashi asks bemusedly.

"It's alright sensei," Naruto says with a lopsided grin, "Sasuke knows what's in them – I used to make him draft these notes."

"Yeah," Sasuke says flatly. "Because back then the head of ANBU had oh so much free time on his hands."

Kakashi smiles under his mask before peering at all three signatures.

"Perfect copying," he notes.

"You know why," Sasuke says, eye bleeding into sharingan before switching back.

"I thought I told you not to use that anymore," Sakura sighs. "You don't _need _it. You're just doing your eyes damage."

"Well," Sasuke shrugs, "in the end it may be better for you, ne? After all if I do snap – which I _know _that _you _think I will – it'll be better for you."

Sakura tenses. Naruto stills, eyes sliding over to where their sensei is observing with barely concealed interest.

"I think you should process those forms," Naruto finally says, diverting his attention from the ticking time bomb that is Team 7. "I'm sure you've gathered that these chuunin exams are an important part of the future, and I can assure you that you will be informed of any information needed."

Kakashi eyes down Naruto, their three notes in his hands. Even though Naruto is miniscule and seemingly casual, hands stuffed in his pockets, he's asserting his power.

Kakashi cocks an eyebrow at Naruto's audacity. "I could just tear these forms right now," he says casually, testing the balance of power Naruto had weaved.

"You could," Naruto shrugs, "But believe me when I say that the three of us will tear into you _first _if you touch those forms."

"No," Kakashi says, shaking his head bemusedly. "I think you're mistaken. You think you have the power here, but in the end _I _do. Because I don't have your weakness."

Naruto narrows his eyes. Sakura bites her lip – after all these years Team 7 is rarely – if ever – associated with being _weak. _

"You see," Kakashi says slowly. "You would never harm me. Because you've had years with me – you have a bond with me that I don't have with you. You would never 'tear into me' because you care about me. But what you're all forgetting, is that I don't have that same problem."

Although Sakura is immediately hit with a stab of hurt, she turns her gaze to Naruto – there were few people who cared about him in the past and Kakashi was one of those few – this attack is much more personal for him.

Naruto grits his teeth and bows his head, hair covering his eyes. Sakura blinks rapidly – suddenly it's like their old Hokage has lost his authority. For once, he looks like his physical form – a twelve year old genin being scolded by their sensei.

"You should watch how you talk," Sasuke says casually, sharingan bleeding into his eyes.

"Definitely," Sakura says calmly, linking her arm through Sasuke's in a show of support. For once she directs her chakra not calmly for healing, but violently. It bursts out from the bottoms of her feet, scorching her sandals and sending tremors through the earth.

Naruto unfurls his fists. Even though his hair is still obscuring his eyes Sakura can see a corner of his lips curl up into a small smirk.

"They're right," he says quietly. "Because we have a weapon that no one else has, and the means to utilise it. We're a powerful weapon, Kakashi-sensei, and you should be aware that you walk a fine line. I'm sure Kiri would benefit quite a bit from our intimate knowledge of the future wars, no? Or Suna? I'm sure Iwa is still holding grudges too."

Kakashi narrows his eyes, tightening his grip on the forms, crinkling the paper.

"I see," he says quietly.

"I would hate for our relationship to be harmed by this little incident, eh sensei?" Sakura says cheerfully. She unlinks her arm from Sasuke before stepping forward and wrapping an arm around Naruto's shoulders.

"You're truly too cruel," Kakashi muses with a wry smile. "War has touched you all."

"War will touch you too," Sasuke says quietly. "So you should beware."

"I thought that's what you were preventing?" Kakashi counters, raising an eyebrow.

"Submit the forms," Naruto cuts in quietly.

Kakashi looks down at his three genin.

"So be it," he says quietly.

Taking one last look at them he forms a seal and shunshin's away.

Sakura waits a moment before loosening her grip on Naruto's shoulder and dropping her arm. She can feel the tension beginning to set in so she quickly cuts away from the topic they're all trying to avoid.

"Iruka's near," she points out. "Is he still going to test us?"

"Depends on what Kakashi's said," Sasuke shrugs, following along. "But knowing that weird attachment he has with Naruto, yeah. Probably."

"Oi," Naruto glares, "Lay off him." He pauses, cocking an ear. "He's heading here – looks like he's going to test us together then. Play nice."

"Of course," Sasuke sighs.

A second later Sakura's mom runs onto the path. Naruto and Sakura tense and Sakura narrows her eyes.

"Sakura!" her mom shouts, "Your father wants you home now!"

"Seems not," Naruto whispers, shrugging. "He's trying to separate us. You wanna play to it?"

"Hey mum!" Sakura shouts quickly, before Sasuke can respond. "Let's go now then!"

She runs forward, grabs her mom's – Iruka's – arm, and pulls him out of the clearing. God knows if he starts being all lovey-dovey and parent-like towards her, Sasuke – or even Naruto – might snap.

"Hey Sakura-chan," Iruka says once they're far away enough, "I've just got to go and buy some groceries alright? You head off first."

"Alright," Sakura shrugs.

Iruka, disguised as her mom, hurries away, leaving Sakura all alone on the path.

Sighing, Sakura leans back and peers curiously to where Iruka's chakra lies just out of sight. It settles before morphing, Iruka no doubt taking a new form – Sasuke? But perhaps not – after all, this time she's not obsessively in love with him. So who then? Hinata? No – Iruka knows enough that involving the Hyuuga heiress in any schemes, even through her image, is too risky. Ami and her gang of bullies? No, that's too simple. She's gotten over that – Iruka knows it won't faze her.

This… might be more interesting than she'd thought. This will show her what Iruka, and by extension Konoha, see as her weakness – her vulnerability. An area to exploit.

Iruka emerges again as- _Sasuke._

Sakura stills, breath catching in her throat.

Even after all these years – all she's worked for, everything she's _done – _Sasuke is _still her bloody weakness. _

"Oh hey Sakura!" Sasuke calls. "Come quickly! Naruto's hurt!"

"What?" Sakura blurts out.

"Naruto!" Sasuke calls again. "He's hurt! Hurry up!"

Just then a ninja appears behind Sasuke – Iruka's alias – and knocks him out.

"Ha!" the ninja cackles, "I've got both your teammates now! You'll never see them again!"

_Oh, _Sakura thinks, quickly suppressing a hysterical bubble of laughter. This time around it's not Sasuke that's her weakness – it's her _team. _It's him and Naruto – the both of them – the other parts of Team 7.

It means Konoha is recognising her as a _kunoichi._

Sakura grins and slips her hand into her weapons pouch, pulling out a kunai. Now _this _she can work with.

"Oh yeah?" she challenges, cocking an eyebrow. "Let's see you _try_."

Iruka cackles again and jumps away – not even shunshin'ing. Grinning, Sakura leaps after him, quickly summoning two clones. Sure, her speed's not the best – she doesn't need it to be anyway – but she's not fighting Iruka full strength. She's fighting an Iruka who's testing a _genin_ Sakura.

She catches up to him easily – much quicker than he'd expected – and slashes down. Iruka dodges to the side, as to be expected, but her two clones block his passage, trapping him. Iruka as the incompetent missing nin is unable to escape and Sakura subdues him easily. Her two clones pop out of existence, never revealing to Iruka that they were actually kage bunshin.

"What did I say?" Sakura says, cocking an eyebrow. "And don't think you're tricking me – you don't have _either _of my teammates. These," she gestures to the bound bodies of Sasuke and Naruto, "are just clones."

"You don't know that," Iruka spits.

Sakura smiles sweetly and in a flash, throws her two kunai at her two teammates. As expected, they puff out of existence.

"Now," she says, "If you'll excuse me, my father is expecting me."

As she'd expected, the moment she turns her back Iruka utilises a substitution jutsu, leaving a rock in the place of the ropes.

Sakura's step falters.

"Well," she whispers to herself, "there you go. The first step – finished. Up next? The Chuunin Examinations. God knows I'm not ready."

And she's not – not in the ways that matter.

* * *

**Naruto**

"Are you going to find Jiraiya?" Sasuke asks.

"I'd like to," Naruto admits. "It's been… awhile. And his death was hard – you know that. But with Iruka-sensei after us next now's probably not the best time. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Sasuke nods. The two continue to walk in silence down the path. Naruto can feel Sakura's steady chakra and Iruka's erratic one, playing a dangerous dance.

"…they're done." Naruto says, a few seconds later. "Think she passed?"

"Is that even a question?" Sasuke says wryly.

"Mm," Naruto mumbles. His mind is still on Jiraiya – the toad sannin, the idiotic yet also the only real father figure he's ever had. But Sasuke looks troubled too – not surprising considering the impending events.

"It's good like this, no?" Naruto asks tentatively. "All of us, back together. Not fighting."

"Iruka's coming this way," Sasuke says sharply. "Let's save him some effort eh? I'll leave."

"Sasuke-" Naruto begins, but he's already gone. Sighing, Naruto resigns himself to waiting for Iruka. However their sensei bypasses him, instead moving onto Sasuke.

_Great, _Naruto thinks – now he'll have to wait even longer. Perhaps he can catch up with Sakura, see what Iruka put her through. Or he could go and see what Konoha thinks of Sasuke this time around – last time he'd been given the standard test, being attacked by Iruka's alias. But things might have changed this time around, and it won't do much harm to have a look, right?

"Oi Naruto," Sakura calls.

Well, too late now. Sakura it is.

"Hey Sakura," he nods. His teammate hurries down the path towards him.

"Listen," she says quickly. "I was just thinking you know, because I mean come on we're genin no one takes us seriously just look at the Sand Siblings but we need to be taken seriously right especially with all this that's going on and-"

"Sakura," Naruto says with a crooked smile, "You're rambling again."

Sakura shuts her mouth and scowls. "Dammit. I'm just- stressed. You know?"

Naruto's face drops. "Yeah," he says quietly. "I know."

"Well, um," Sakura continues, shifting on her feet. "I mean I was thinking that maybe we could…"

Sakura stops suddenly. "You know what? I'm sick of this."

Naruto looks up in surprise but Sakura stomps her feet in the most childish way he's seen in- in _ever._

"I'm sick of playing this game. I'm done strategising my whole life. I've done it for god knows long enough. And you know what? You were right. I need to reap the benefits. I'm sick of overanalysing every bloody move and trying to find out the consequences because I _died _and I'm back and this second chance – I'm doing _nothing _with it and I- I really, really should."

Naruto grins roguishly.

"I think we're finally on the same page," he says, unable to stop himself from grinning. "You've been thinking too much. Sasuke's been thinking too much. Hell, even _I've _been thinking too much."

"And we know how often that happens," Sakura quips.

Naruto's eyes widen before he laughs. Sakura's lips twitch upwards into a smile.

"Nice one," he says, shaking his head bemusedly. "Wanna go see what Sasuke's up to?"

Sakura's twitching smile turns into a full-out grin.

"Yep," she grins. "Wanna mess with him?"

Naruto lets out a shaky breath, cheeks hurting from the strain of his wide grin.

"It's good to have you back Sakura."

Sakura laughs tentatively. "I don't know if I'm there yet – back to that version of me, of us, in between the wars. When we were experienced, but _happy. _When we – I think – when we really lived. But I'm trying and – and I think I'll get there eventually."

"Yeah," Naruto says quietly. He thinks back to the period between the wars. Those years had been Konoha's golden years – they had been _Team 7's _golden years. Sakura was bright and powerful – the war had brought out a strength in her that they'd never truly seen before, one which everyone recognised – one which had brought about her promotion into Root. And Sasuke – he'd been swept up in that initial swell of patriotism, of love and pure happiness too. But even after all that died down, he'd settled down. He'd _liked _life there. He had a special place in Konoha – he was the brunt of Neji's swipes, hell even his own – and everyone knew he had a little soft spot for Sakura.

That had truly been a long ago, an unreachable time. And as for him? He had still been naïve. Obstinate. He hadn't believe in death, in suffering. He wasn't jaded – not then. The village had loved him. He had loved the village! He had loved his teammates, and in their own ways, they had loved him too. He had been young, but not innocent. Mature, but not old. He was Konoha's brightest Hokage – glory years. He hadn't become Hokage thinking he would be a wartime Kage. No one had.

Naruto lifts his head, glancing over to where Sasuke is emerging.

"He's done," Sakura says quietly.

"Yeah," Naruto echoes. "Iruka-sensei's probably coming after me next. I should probably splinter off."

"Wait," Sakura says sharply. "We need to talk about something first. Iruka can wait."

She pauses, eyeing Sasuke as he approaches. Hesitantly, she beckons him over.

"Come here," she says, her voice softening. Her face is uncharacteristically open, easy to read.

"Sakura," Sasuke greets unsurely.

"Sasuke," she answers, biting her lip. Naruto leans back and surveys the two of them – and they look like _teenagers. _Sakura, with her hair in a bun and long red dress, biting her lip with a faint blush. Sasuke, with his instinctual scowl and languid, devil-may-care posture. They've both learnt to suppress these signals, these signs, these _emotions – _but they're not. For a moment here, Team 7 is decidedly _real._

"I was thinking," Sakura says, turning back to Naruto, "that we get a new alias. As I said to Naruto – we're genin. There's practically nothing we can do like this but there's so _much _that we need to do."

"A new alias," Sasuke ponders.

"Yeah – like – I was thinking – do we want to bring back Hasaku, Nakuro and-"

"No," Sasuke says quickly. "They're too- _no."_

"They're too- Sasuke's right," Naruto says quietly. "We need new aliases." They're different this time around – too different – and they need to adapt. Their old henges which they'd always used - they tie them too much to a past - a future - which simply doesn't exist anymore.

"…alright," Sakura nods. "Suggestions?"

"Just tweak a few things here and there," Sasuke shrugs. "I'm sure we'll be able to manage that."

Naruto frowns – he's disconnecting again. Doing that frustratingly _Sasuke _thing where he just locks himself in on his own thoughts.

"Alright," Sakura says meekly. Naruto scowls – can't he see that he's hurt her? Kami why can't Team 7 just- _work like it used to?_

Sakura's image flutters before she's replaced by a much taller, blonde-haired girl with blue eyes.

"Older," Naruto decides.

Sakura's image flutters again – the features are kept the same but the girl now looks to be in her solid twenties.

"Better?" Sakura asks.

"Ye-"

"I don't like the hair," Sasuke mutters.

Sakura frowns, deepening it to a light auburn.

"What about now?"

"Too red," Naruto winces.

Sakura frowns, concentrating before her auburn hair deepens to a dark brown.

"Darker," Sasuke says.

Sakura's eye begins twitching. "By god you're… _insufferable."_

She purses her lips and her hair turns into a dark blue.

"No!" Naruto says quickly. Sakura looks as if she's ready to punch him before he hastily adds – "That's Hinata's hair."

Sakura deflates. Her dark blue hair deepens till it's a solid black.

"Better?" she asks softly.

"Yeah," Naruto replies quietly, letting out a shallow breath.

"We'll match that then," Sasuke nods. He morphs till he looks about Sakura's age, keeping his dark hair and eyes.

"Too dark," Sakura snaps sarcastically.

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "It's not _my _fault you were born with such rare characteristics."

"Tch," Sakura snorts.

"You should be careful," Naruto quips, "You're starting to sound like Sasuke."

Sakura grins. "God help me."

Naruto closes his eyes and concentrates on his chakra. His form enlarges until he looks the twenty-five year old version of his self.

"Lose the whiskers," Sakura instructs.

"Change the hair," Sasuke says.

Naruto nods his head sagely. "You _are_ quite obsessed with the hair Sasuke. You're beginning to sound like thirteen year old Neji."

The repulsed look on Sasuke's face sends him laughing.

"Don't start talking about fate!" Sakura adds in, grinning wickedly.

"You guys are infuriating," Sasuke hisses.

"Wait wait wait," Naruto says quickly, "We haven't decided on names yet."

"You can be dobe," Sasuke says deadpans. "Or baka. Or idiot. Or-"

"Alright, alright I get it," Naruto says, holding his hands up in mock-surrender.

"Or dickless," Sasuke snickers.

Naruto freezes. "Did you just- I'm going to get you-!"

He lunges for Sasuke who's smirking his signature self-righteous smirk – but Sakura grabs his collar and yanks him back.

"Let's just play it safe shall we?" Sakura suggests, smile dancing on her lips. "I'll be Hana. Naruto can be Hikari and Sasuke can be Yuki."

There's a beat of silence.

"Did you just pull out the most generic names you could think of?" Sasuke asks flatly.

Sakura smiles sweetly at him. "Problem?"

Sasuke bares his teeth at her.

"Um, guys, hate to break you up and all but Iruka's getting impatient. And it wouldn't do for him to see this eh?"

His other two teammates sigh and drop their henges.

"Have fun," Sakura waves noncommittally.

"Thanks," he grins. "Don't kill each other."

"Oh please," Sasuke says, rolling his eyes, "More like don't get _yourself _killed. I can handle myself. And Sakura- well, she's Sakura."

Sakura simply grins.

"Alright," Naruto shrugs, suppressing a smile. "I'll see you guys later."

He drops his own henge before leaping away to where he can feel Iruka's steady chakra and the three weaker ones of Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. That must've been why his sensei didn't approach – he wanted to test him the same way as last time, using Moegi.

"Hey boss!" Konohamaru shouts, waving enthusiastically as he sees Naruto.

"Hey," Naruto grins, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"You won't guess who we met this morning," Moegi begins, but it seems as if his sensei isn't interested in wasting time.

Iruka's alias drops down behind Moegi.

"Ha ha ha!" he cackles as he grabs Moegi. Konohamaru and Udon shout in surprise and the girl screams, fighting, kicking and screaming.

Well, Naruto thinks, narrowing his eyes, if his sensei wants this to be quick – this _will _be quick.

Plus… he gets what Sakura is saying. So long of keeping the façade of _weak – _it's _tiring. _It's _annoying. _It's-

It's time to have a bit of fun.

Naruto grins and grips his kunai. He won't even have to _move_.

* * *

**AN**: So yeah... poor Sakura's finally snapped after all that shit she gets for being Root.

Also, what do you guys think of Sasuke's actions so far? He seems to be fitting back in, but then again he's still very unstable, as you could probably tell from the first section. Do you think it's an act? Or is he unsure himself? Will he stick with Team 7 or approach Orochimaru when Kabuto makes his appearance?

Sorry I'm bombarding you with so many questions but I'm just not sure if my writing's portraying what I want it to portray, especially since Sasuke's a notoriously complicated character.

If you read through this gigantic AN, kudos to you! Thanks to all the reviewers: **Enbi, usaginekohime, Enigma infinite, Illuminated, Corpj123, Bumblebee Madness, proudy9, Bananarock509, AMMiss, Suzululu4moe, Sherbet Mayhem, peinluvscookies, Lamelinam, Guest, queen-sheep, sagar hussein, Beloved Daughter, Shen, NarutoxHonoka,** **Icezera** and **Yuuki0hime!**

So yeah, I'll wrap up this AN here. Please leave a comment and tell me what you thought!


	18. The Chuunin Exams - II

**AN: **Next chap for you guys to enjoy xx Sasuke gets a bit proactive... Also a nice little tidbit of Kakashi for all you Kakashi fans out there :)

* * *

**_The Chuunin Exams - II_**

* * *

**Sakura**

"Beer," Sasuke grunts.

"Some tea, actually," Sakura cuts in, sliding into the seat next to him. "_I'll _have a beer."

Sasuke shoots her an annoyed look as the waitress shrugs, snapping their menus up before leaving.

"What did you do _that _for?" he grumbles.

"Remember Takashi-kun," Sakura says lightly, "Even though you're henged as an adult, your body is still a child – you shouldn't damage it with alcohol."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "_You're _drinking."

The waitress comes back and hands them both their drinks. Sakura grins and tips her beer up.

"Yeah, well, _I'm _a medic nin," she says, shaking her beer can. "I know how to burn it off."

"Burn what off?" Naruto asks excitedly, popping up behind Sasuke.

Sakura grins, nodding him a hello.

"Takashi-chan's hair of course," she says innocently. "It always looked better shorter."

"_Shut up_," Sasuke hisses, "he's here."

There's no obvious change in either of their demeanour but Sakura casually flings an arm around Sasuke, angling herself so that she can view the door. Iruka walks in with a heavy sigh, pausing uncertainly at the doorway before locking onto the table of jounin.

"Reckon Kakashi knows-"

"Yep," Sakura answers quickly. Simpering, she turns around and hugs Sasuke instead, changing her viewpoint to where the jounin sit. All three are well-trained enough that Sasuke doesn't even tense – like she knew he would've in private – instead continuing to sip his tea. Kakashi casually glances over her and she knows – that _he _knows that she knows – that they're spying.

"Kakashi's good," Naruto muses. "Also, I'm feeling a bit left out here Hana."

"You'll get over it Hikari-chan," Sakura grins. "Also, he could take on _Obito _what did you expect?"

All three fall back into silence, allowing them to pinpoint the jounin's conversation in the rowdy café.

"-and Shino did well, of course," Iruka says.

"That's to be expected," Asuma nods. "They're the heirs after all."

As far as Sakura knows, Kakashi had known Asuma previously, while Kurenai was unknown as the newly minted jounin. The three had only started bonding because of all their teams participating in the chuunin exams as rookies. And this meeting was for them to discuss whether or not their teams really _were_ ready.

"Team 10 did as expected," Iruka continues. "I tested them as a team, as that's how they'll end up, of course. All three reacted well. Ino was hesitant to cooperate with the boys and vice versa, but I'm sure they'll get over that for the exams."

Asuma nods sagely. "She's too competitive to let that influence them."

Kakashi is simply observing the conversation from the side. He stirs his coffee absentmindedly, eyes wondering. They catch Team 7 on occasion, no doubt observing them, but none of the others at the table pick up on his observations.

"Team 7 is ready as well. Yes. Ready."

Kakashi nods at this. "I've been training them," he says flippantly.

Naruto snorts, but covers it up quickly with a cough.

"You've been training them very well," Iruka notes. "Their performances were… ready. Yes. Ready."

"We know," Asuma says wryly. "You've said that."

Normally, the Iruka-sensei she knew would have flushed in embarrassment. But this time, their sensei narrows his eyes and turns to Kakashi.

"I don't think you understand me," he says slowly. "They're… _too _ready. I tested Sakura by kidnapping her 'teammates' – my clones. She recognised that technique, but to dispel them she _killed _them – threw two kunai at my clones!"

Sasuke glances at her.

"That is how you dispel clones, yes," Kakashi says, still eyeing Team 7. Iruka takes that as him brushing off his words and bristles.

"But she was risking killing her teammates! What if they were _actually _her teammates?"

"She thought they were clones, did she not?" Kakashi counters, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes, but-"

"But?" Kakashi repeats. Asuma is watching narrowed eyes. Kurenai seems unsure of what to do, eyes darting between her lap, Iruka, and Kakashi.

"But she just graduated! How can she be so confident? It's- it's _Sakura! _Why would she risk harming anyone? How could she have been so sure? _How could she have known?"_

"Have you checked their mission records?" Kakashi cuts in, tapping his fingers against the table nonchalantly. Asuma narrows his eyes.

"No," Iruka admits, deflating slightly.

"Team 7 has completed nine D-rank missions, and one A-rank."

Iruka knocks his drink in surprise. "A-rank?!" he splutters. Asuma narrows his eyes even further and Kurenai's eyes widen in surprise.

Next to her, Naruto clenches his fist. Iruka is under attack and Naruto no doubt hates it. Sakura places her hand over his, squeezing it in comfort but also in warning.

"They're _ready," _Kakashi says seriously. "They need to be in that exam Umino."

And suddenly it hits Sakura that even though Kakashi is antagonistic, is unsure, he recognises the importance of them being here, recognises how he – how _they – _are holding the future of the world in their palms. He _knows. _And he could help them – something that she'd never really considered. She'd always seen him as a threat, as someone she should distance herself from in fear of him being too strong a reminder of her past. But he's _not. _Above all else, he's still _Kakashi-sensei._

"Sasuke was ruthless too Kakashi, he was _angry,_" Iruka continues, not relenting. "Tell me you're not worried about Konoha's last loyal Uchiha?"

"He has Shikaku-san," Kurenai intervenes cautiously for the first time.

"But is that enough?" Asuma murmurs quietly.

Sakura places her other hand over Sasuke's and interlaces her fingers with his. Sasuke breathes out heavily.

"And Naruto – he's so much _stronger."_

"Which is a good thing," Kakashi says flatly. Sakura tightens her grip on Naruto.

"No you don't _understand_," Iruka continues, but Sakura thinks that Kakashi _does _understand and _hates _it too.

"It's not about strength it's about-"

"Their disregard for life," Asuma says quietly.

"_Yes," _Iruka heaves. "_Thank you. _They're turning into prime candidates for Konoha's weapons-"

"Which we need," Kakashi says levelly. "Weapons. Why do you care so much anyway? It was bound to happen – with Sakura's chakra control, Sasuke's lineage and Naruto's… well, it was bound to happen. You must've seen it."

Iruka clenches his fist. "They don't deserve it. They're just _kids."_

Kakashi smiles wryly. "Of course. Just kids. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be-"

"Let's go," Naruto says roughly.

Sakura bites her lip. Sasuke stands up abruptly too, leaving a pile of cash on the table.

"Keep the change," he says sharply to the waitress. She nods instinctively, cowering under his gaze.

Sakura purses her lips and stands up quickly but Sasuke and Naruto have already hurried out without waiting for her. Cursing under her breath, she glares at Kakashi.

He ignores her stare, pulling his jounin vest from the back of his chair and shrugging it on. She'll have to leave before he does.

Smiling at the stunned waitress, Sakura turns to hurry up after her two boys.

"Hana-san, was it?"

Sakura curses under her breath before turning around.

"The infamous Hatake Kakashi," she smiles tightly.

"It's been awhile," Kakashi smiles back. The remaining jounin and Iruka eye them curiously. Sakura curses him mentally.

"Let's continue this conversation outside, shall we?" she asks icily. Kakashi is still smiling but his one visible eye narrows – he recognises her question as the command it is.

"Of course," he nods smoothly.

Sakura hurries out, senses on high alert. Kakashi follows her casually and opens the door for her. She thanks him tensely, jaw clenched. The table of jounin and Iruka are still watching them curiously.

When he finally closes the door to the café and guides her away, she turns on him accusingly.

"Kakashi-sensei-"

He crosses his arms, interrupting her.

"Spying, were we?"

Sakura deflates. Kakashi leans back against the wall, seemingly relaxed.

"Don't trust me?" he continues nonchalantly. "Going to attack me?"

Sakura blushes. Kakashi stares at her with a level gaze.

"Look. I'm… _we're… _sorry," she says quietly. "It's just hard, I'm sure you understand, and as hard as it may be for you to believe – we- we _do _miss you. And what you said…" _It hurt. A lot._

Sakura's hands are trembling and she doesn't know _why. _Her henge begins to falter before it breaks, leaving the shorter, smaller, Sakura.

"…you've changed your clothes," Kakashi notes quietly, a fraction kinder. Sakura looks up at him – his only visible eye is swirling with something indiscernible.

"Yes," Sakura nods meekly, "The dress was too impractical and I thought the chuunin exams would be a good reason to change."

She smooths down her shirt, looking down at her new garb. She'd ditched the dress for an outfit somewhat similar to that which she had as a chuunin – a simple red shirt and black shorts, gloves and boots. And of course she hadn't forgotten her customary grey apron skirt above her shorts – perfect in hiding her medicinal vials.

Kakashi looks down at her before patting her on the head with his gloved hand.

"You're doing good," he says quietly. "Real good."

"It's 'well' Kakashi-sensei," Sakura corrects with a small giggle. "I'm doing _'well'."_

"No," Kakashi says, shaking his head. "I meant it. You're doing _good. _I don't know whether you're doing well… but you _are _doing _good."_

Sakura can't stop the smile which lights up her face, and even if she could she wouldn't.

"Thanks!" she grins toothily, trying to contain her joy. God knows she doesn't want to turn into Naruto, bubbling with tears of happiness.

"No problem," he says with a small smile. "And maybe I should start training you guys properly. You're right – you've all been alone for a very, very long time."

Sakura throws her arms around Kakashi, her head burrowing into his mid.

"Thanks sensei," she murmurs, her voice muffled by his throat.

"That's the first time you've called me 'sensei'," Kakashi muses quietly. "Just… 'sensei'."

* * *

**Naruto**

"What took you so long?" Sasuke grumbles.

Naruto glances at their pink-haired teammate. She looks – _happy. _

"Just talking with Kakashi-sensei," she says, a wistful smile on her face.

"It went well," Naruto notes, small smile dancing on his lips. "He didn't mind us spying?"

"Who knows?" Sakura says with a shrug. "But he _does _think we're doing good."

"Well," Sasuke corrects quickly, "He thinks we're doing '_well'."_

"No, actually," Sakura says, now unable to contain her grin. It's good to see his teammate this happy, Naruto thinks. "He means it that way – he thinks we're doing _good."_

Sasuke opens his mouth to respond but nothing comes out. On the other hand, Naruto cheers – their _sensei –_ their _Kakashi-sensei – _thinks that they're doing good! And maybe it means that all they went through, the many years under their belt, all that suffering – it's all _worth _it. Because they're really doing _good._

Sasuke clenches his jaw and looks to the side. Naruto's smile drops into a frown – he still seems to be teetering, unsure of himself.

"Phase 1," Sasuke cuts in, jerking his head forward. Naruto looks up – the building for the first exam looms ahead, three stories high. Team Gai is just outside the door, muttering.

"Think they'll be less judgemental this time?" Sakura muses.

"Probably, considering you ditched that horrendous dress and Naruto had the sense to lessen the orange." Sasuke looks over at Naruto and he gives him a thumbs up. The new tracksuit he'd managed to get made looked exactly like his chuunin garb – he'd contemplated going for what he wore as Hokage, but perhaps that change would be too much. Iide-san – from Bokudo Weapons Shop – had managed to get it made specially for him.

Sasuke scowls. "Still too much orange though."

"Shush!" Sakura hisses, "I'm trying to listen!"

Naruto mellows and perks his ears too.

"Have you heard? This exam is the first in five years to have rookies."

"No way. The jounin must be trying to look good."

"I heard the three of them are from Kakashi's unit."

"That's interesting. Either way, it's pitiful for them. Let's go."

Sakura bristles. "Wow. That's offensive."

"Tell me 'bout it," Naruto grumbles. "Hubris will be the death of them." _The death of us too, probably._

"Let's go and wow them with our genjutsu detection skills," Sasuke says monotonously.

Sakura giggles, lips curling up into a smirk. "Naruto? Think you'll notice it this time?"

Naruto stares at her flatly. "I'm not _that _bad."

"Debatable," Sasuke mutters.

"I'm going to kill you," Naruto mutters back.

"Let's _go," _Sakura sighs, dragging both towards the building.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and trails after her. Bemused smile on his face, Naruto scampers after them.

"Hey, you hear that?" he asks as they enter. There are shouts and crashes coming from upstairs.

"Sounds like a fight," Sasuke notes.

Sakura smiles, hands drifting over her kunai pouch. "This will be… interesting."

All three scamper up the stairs quickly – supposedly to the third floor.

"They're actually quite good," Sakura muses, looking around at the genjutsu'd floor. "This takes quite a lot of skill."

"A C-rank genjutsu?" Naruto asks, cocking an eyebrow up sceptically. Even _he _could do those easily.

"No you dobe," Sasuke says irritably, "She means the control needed. They've made it the perfect balance – not too hard enough for genin, but _just _hard enough to push them."

Sakura pushes the door open, revealing the hallway. All the genin teams are crowded around the door labelled '301'. Immediately Naruto notices Kabuto, seemingly innocent with his glasses and unassuming smile. He represses the shudder about to rise, instead forcing his eyes away to where Tenten and Lee are sent skidding back after trying to enter the door.

"Just let us in will you?!" Tenten shouts in frustration.

"What did you say?" Kotetsu asks in his genin henge, "Listen we're being kind to you."

"That right," Izumo nods. "The chuunin exams are extremely difficult. We've seen many who gave up on being a ninja or were seriously injured taking this exam. A chuunin is a commander of a squad – it's the commander's responsibility for failing any missions and the death of their subordinates."

Naruto winces – he knows how true that is, especially during his years as a wartime Kage. Every person he sent out to the battlefield that didn't make it back alive in the end all lay on _his _shoulders. Sasuke nudges him, breaking him out of his reverie, and Naruto sends him a small smile. Even after all these years his teammates still manage to read him perfectly.

Kotetsu scoffs. "And to think that these genin want to… well – what's wrong with sifting out those who won't pass anyway?"

Naruto waits for Sasuke to step forward, announce the genjutsu, but instead his teammate cocks his head at him.

"Go on," Sasuke sighs.

Naruto opens his mouth then closes it.

"Thanks," he says quietly. Sasuke's allowing him to show everyone here – everyone who thinks he's just a dead last – that he's actually _strong. _

"A very good point," Naruto says loudly, pushing through the crowd, "But I _will _pass. You're petty genjutsu tricks won't work on me! _I _want to go to the _third _floor!"

All the other genin begin murmuring and Naruto smirks.

"Oh?" Kotestsu challenges, a small smile dancing on his lips, "You noticed?"

"My whole team did," Naruto answers, his smirk widening.

"That's right," Sakura grins. "This is the _second _floor."

Izumo chuckles. "You're pretty good. But just being able to detect genjutsu isn't enough…"

Naruto forms a tiger seal behind his back, indicating for Sasuke to take this. Izumo tenses his legs for a fraction of a second and with all their experience Team 7 recognises it as the beginning of a jump. Immediately Sasuke launches forward, catching Izumo's leg and raising his own. However before his kick connects, Lee appears, holding both down.

Naruto stares appraisingly at the other genin. Despite all of their training and experience, Lee is still purely _fast._

"Hey," Neji says to Lee, grabbing his attention. Lee releases them and Sasuke retreats, stopping next to Naruto. Sakura steps forward, in line with her other teammates.

"You broke the promise," Neji says, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. "You're the one who didn't want to gather attention by doing something that stands out."

"But…" Lee trials off, turning back to Sasuke. Then his eye catches Sakura and he blushes.

"Oh geez," Sakura whispers. Sasuke begins to smirk.

"She must be why…" Lee admires before stepping forward confidently.

"My name is Rock Lee. You are Sakura-san right?"

"…yes," Sakura answers finally, giving him a resigned smile. Lee seems to take this as a good signal because he gives her a thumbs up and grins, teeth glinting.

"Let's go out together! I will protect you until I die!"

"She's not worthy," Neji says immediately.

There's a moment of silence. Sakura's eyes find Hinata's through the crowd.

"W-what?" Lee stutters, unsure for once.

"She's not worthy," Neji spits.

Naruto cocks his head to the side.

"Would you like to repeat that?" he enunciates carefully, and then the room is filled with maleficent chakra.

"Naruto," Sasuke warns sharply. The chakra disappears immediately and the hidden chuunin that had been ready to jump in relax.

Neji narrows his eyes.

"The weak always have to rely on others. That is your _fate."_

Sakura smiles wanly. "The… weak? I don't think you can afford to make a judgement. We haven't even met, after all."

She holds out a hand. "Haruno Sakura," she curls.

Neji eyes her hand before scoffing.

"What?" Sakura asks innocently, "Too scared to shake my hand?"

Naruto winces – he knows what Neji's in for and it's not nice. The taunt seems to have gotten to the prodigy however and Neji confidently takes her hand. The moment he's in her grasp she tightens her grip and reinforces it with chakra, preventing him from escaping without injuring himself. Then she wrenches him forward and he stumbles down.

Sakura watches with satisfaction, waiting for his face to hit the ground. However before he can, Sasuke shoots forward suddenly, grabbing Neji by the neck and wrenching him backwards. The force is so strong Neji's back nearly cracks.

Sasuke locks eyes with the prodigy.

And then, seeing what he's about to do, Naruto meets Sakura's frantic gaze and they rip their teammate away. Neji staggers back into Tenten's stunned arms.

"Let's go," Naruto mutters quickly.

"Wait," Neji says suddenly. He pushes off Tenten and dusts himself off, Hyuuga façade back on. "Identify yourself," he orders.

Naruto smiles bemusedly. "Aren't you supposed to identify yourself first before asking?"

Neji grits his teeth. "I'm not talking to _you._ You, over there." He nods to Sasuke.

Naruto shrugs. "Suit yourself."

"You're just _rookies_," Neji scoffs condescendingly, but his posture is shaky and so is his voice. He's not so sure of himself now, Naruto notes. "How old _are_ you?"

"We're not obligated to answer that," Sakura cuts in smoothly. Neji narrows his eyes.

"Let's go," Sasuke sighs. Neji bristles at the dismissal which is all the better for Naruto. He and Sakura follow Sasuke though the door and up the stairs.

"What's he got against you?" Sasuke asks quietly.

The root of the problem hits Naruto and he growls, clenching his fists. "_Hinata."_

Sakura nods sadly.

They turn off of the stairs, into a larger hall.

"Hey you!"

Team 7 turns around. From above, Lee is waving down at them. "You – the Uchiha!"

Naruto smiles wryly – Sasuke's last name is both a blessing and a curse.

"Will you fight me right now?"

Right now? Naruto thinks. But Sasuke turns around and immediately says to them – "I'm doing it. I need the lotus."

Of course. But there's not much he can do about it anyway. "Don't go too hard," Naruto chooses to say instead. "Push him, but not too much. Do what the examiners did with the genjutsu. Win, but push him."

"Why does it matter so much?" Sasuke asks, but his voice is only curious, devoid of maliciousness.

"He's my friend," Naruto shrugs. "I want him to improve, but not to be destroyed."

Sasuke nods before shouting "Sure!" up to Lee.

Lee jumps off the balcony. "My name is Rock Lee! You're supposed to identify yourself first, right?"

Sasuke smirks. "Uchiha Sasuke. But you already knew that."

Lee nods determinedly. "Fight me. I want to see how my moves will do against a descendant of a genius ninja clan."

Naruto frowns. So Bushy-Brows is still sore over Neji's superiority. But then again, if he hadn't been injured by Gaara he's sure that Lee would have been promoted to chuunin and not Neji – after all, he has the skills and the right attitude.

"Alright," Sasuke concedes.

"Great," Lee nods. "Let's do this. But I will declare this now. You cannot defeat me. Because… I am the strongest of Konoha genin right now."

Already things are different – Lee's skipped his 'I love Sakura' speech. But then again, considering the events which'd just occurred, it's not really surprising after all.

"I'll accept that," Sasuke nods. And then he launches forward.

He's going slower than usual, Naruto notes – he really wants Lee's technique. But instead of going for the lotus, Lee opts instead for-

"Konoha Whirlwind!" he shouts.

He ducks under Sasuke's kick, swiftly pivoting before sending a flying kick up high. Predictably, Sasuke ducks, but then Lee's other foot follows with a kick down below – impossible to dodge.

But in a flash Sasuke's eyes turn red and Naruto chokes because _what is he doing Kabuto could be watching-_

He grabs Lee's leg and slams him down onto the floor.

"_Naruto," _Sakura hisses. "_What is he doing?!"_

Lee picks himself off the floor, predictably – a move without enough force to shatter the floor won't fell a ninja like Lee.

"So this is the infamous sharingan," Lee says, pulling himself back up to his fighting pose. "I hear it has the ability to see through illusionary, hand-to-hand, and ninja techniques."

_If only that was all it did, _Naruto thinks grimly.

"_But," _Lee continues, "There is no point in you _seeing _if your body cannot keep up. Your sharingan is a genius type – my hand-to-hand combat a hard-working type. You may see, but if your body cannot keep up there is no point."

Naruto clenches his fists – so _that _was why Sasuke had been purposefully running slower.

"I will prove to you with this move that hard work surpasses genius."

Lee launches forward and kicks Sasuke up from the chin. Sasuke lets it happen.

Next to him, Sakura tenses.

"He'll be fine," Naruto mutters, clenching his fists tighter.

Then, Lee appears behind underneath Sasuke as he flies through the air. The tape around his arms begins to unravel and Naruto recognises this as the moment where Gai's turtle will appear.

"Sasuke!" he shouts in warning.

Sasuke grabs a kunai and wrenches Lee's tape away, disrupting his balance and cutting off his technique.

"We're going to be late," Sakura says quickly, excusing them. "Let's go."

Sasuke drops down onto the ground calmly. Lee lands after him, eyes wide.

"Come on," Naruto mutters. "You know who's going to appear."

Sasuke grits his teeth and nods. "I have all that I need anyway."

All three hurry away and Lee shouts in indignation.

"Wait – we haven't finished-"

"_Yes," _a gravelly voice cuts in, "you _have."_

The turtle.

"Let's hurry," Sakura shivers. Sasuke nods and all three hurry away towards the first phase of the exam.

"Hold on," Sasuke says, "You go in first. I have something to do."

Naruto freezes.

"I'm going to the bloody toilet," Sasuke says, rolling his eyes. Sakura giggles and pulls Naruto inside.

"Hurry up!" she calls out. Sasuke lifts an arm in acknowledgement. Naruto smiles and closes the door behind him.

* * *

**Sasuke**

As the door falls shut behind him, Sasuke lets out a shallow breath, smile falling off his face. Shaking his head, he heads off towards the bathroom, passed where Lee is now getting lectured by Gai-sensei.

"-your original idea was fantastic Lee! You would have been underestimated and you would have been able to harness that advantage! Alas now… it is gone. And also Lee…"

"Yes Gai-sensei?"

"…beware of Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke pauses, ears perking up in interest.

"Just because Uchiha Sasuke beat me once does not mean he is capable of doing so again! I am a shining green leaf, the dew of spring-"

"That is not what I meant Lee," Gai says quietly. Sasuke strains closer, shuffling to the wall in an effort to eavesdrop.

"He had master control over his power. I know what he was doing, Lee. Exerting just enough power to push you to use the lotus, yet still enough to survive it without any injuries… all with his sharingan activated… I believe that he was, perhaps, trying to steal your technique."

Sasuke smirks. So Gai is sharper this time around too – it seems with Team 7 pushing the limits, the jounin have been forced to do so as well. Just look at Kakashi – he was grossly out of practice last time around, yet now he knows his sensei is constantly on his toes.

Behind him he hears the door open and Sasuke quickly jumps away from the wall, hands stuffed casually in his pockets.

"Hey," Kabuto nods.

Sasuke suppresses a shudder of revulsion, simply nodding back.

"Uchiha Sasuke right? I'm Yakushi Kabuto." He smiles at Sasuke through his pale glasses, smile completely natural. Sakura used to comment on how good a spy Kabuto was – as a medic nin he knew just which muscles he needed to pull to make the smile seem natural, just how to illicit that friendly spark in his eyes.

"…that's right," Sasuke says slowly. This is a rare chance – he's completely alone with Kabuto, the channel which would take him straight to Orochimaru.

"Letting go of some stress before the exam?" Kabuto continues friendlily. "Me too man – don't want to let it out during the actual test huh? That would be embarrassing. I've taken the test seven times already, so I know that well."

Kabuto lets off a laugh, perfected to sound both self-deprecating and rather foolish.

"Kabuto," he says slowly, his mind finally made up, "Let's both stop the act, shall we?"

Kabuto plasters an innocent, confused look on his face, but he can't mask the spark of intelligence in his eyes.

Staring Kabuto in the eyes, Sasuke very purposefully turns on his sharingan. He keeps it at the first level – Orochimaru has no need to know about the mangekyou, and it'll give him a secret weapon. Before Kabuto can respond, Sasuke grabs the medic by the collar and drags him in. Kabuto swallows – no doubt annoyed at having to pretend to be unable to fight back – but still maintains the frightened façade.

"Listen," Sasuke whispers quietly, fully aware of any ears that may be listening in, "I know why you're here. Tell Orochimaru we may have a deal. There are some things to discuss, of course. The cursed seal, I''ll take. My teammates – leave them be. Tell him there's no point forcefully doing all he's got planned for the Forest, eh? We can talk. Like _adults._"

Sasuke shoves Kabuto away, stopping the medic from any form of response. Kabuto, as expected, shows no outward reaction of surprise. Instead, he smiles knowingly.

"You've impressed me, Uchiha Sasuke," he says seriously, voice losing its genin mask. "I will pass on your message."

Sasuke inclines his head slightly. Suddenly, a smile is back on Kabuto's face.

"So you like Sakura-chan, huh?" Kabuto says loudly. "I have to admit she's pretty."

"I knew it!" Lee suddenly bursts, scampering out the door down the hall and rushing down towards the pair.

Sasuke's jaw twitches and Kabuto grins. "Now, I'm going to head to the bathroom. Do you still need to go?"

"No," Sasuke spits, a sour taste in his mouth. Ignoring Lee's cries, he pushes passed the boy and opens the door into the first phase.

"Seating plan," one of the chuunin drones, gesturing towards the name tags on the tables.

Sasuke grunts, eyes scanning the room. Sakura is twirling her pen mindlessly but she smiles at him when their gaze catches. Naruto's already begun doodling on the front page of his exam, little chibi versions of all the tailed beasts. Sasuke manages a small huff at that – the examiners reaction to _that_ will be amusing.

His seat is closer to Naruto then it is to Sakura's, and when he sits down and Naruto gives him a roguish grin, his heartbeat finally slows.

A few moments later, Kabuto returns – he doubts he needed to go to the bathroom anyway – and all the genin are seated.

Ibiki walks in now – looking exactly the same as Sasuke remembers, even now when he's ten years younger – and scowls intimidatingly.

"Welcome," he says sarcastically, "To the first phase of the chuunin exams."

Sasuke smirks.

As Ibiki explains the rules, Sasuke glances around the room. He can see three distinct types of people – types of people that even the chuunin hidden as genin can fall into. Firstly there's the old Sakura type – intent on doing everything to perfection, on planning everything. He can see it in those like Hyuuga Hinata, listening with rapt attention, absorbing every word. Then there're people like the old Naruto – they want it, but in the end, are really not that ready at all. He can see it in those like Kiba – arrogant, confident, but blubbering when the challenge finally arrives. And of course – the old him. He can see it as Neji stubbornly pays no attention, thinking himself too good – too ready – for these exams.

Sasuke's eyes continue to waver around the room before he scoffs, leaning back in his chair. He was wrong – there are _four _types.

His eyes rest on Kabuto – Kabuto, who seemingly falls into the category of Hyuuga Hinata. But he's not – he's smarter – he's seen things, as a spy for and against Konoha. And to him the chuunin exams are a simply façade, like sheets of paper, easily crumpled. It's full of pretenses, nowhere near what the genin idealise it to be.

As Naruto continues his small doodles of the beings that would eventually be the catalyst for war, and as Sakura continues to feed that power source of hers in her forehead, Sasuke thinks that Team 7 falls into that category too.

Ibiki gives the signal to begin and all genin flip their papers over, ready to begin.

The questions are the same, Sasuke realises, as last time. But then again, there'd been no reason to change it.

He finishes easily, and when he looks up at the chair in front of him, Sakura is already done. Not surprising, considering after the exams and Sakura's little moment of realisation in the Forest of Death, she'd searched up all the answers in an effort to improve herself. Sasuke swivels back on his chair and glances back – Naruto, at least seems to know the answers this time too, considering the way he's confidently writing.

By the time Naruto's finished, most of the other genin are beginning to freak. The questions are definitely hard, and by looking around at the chuunin plants who've already finished at least half, they're beginning to realise that they need to cheat to pass.

Leaning back in his chair, Sasuke sees a lot more than he did before. He sees Gaara's eye – quite obviously, as well – and Kankurou's fake puppet toilet excuse. Neji and Hinata, though both having the byakugan as an advantage, seem to know all the answers anyway. To his surprise, a few rows back Shikamaru is actually trying. Squinting his eyes, Sasuke notes that his paper is nearly finished – impressive, especially for a twelve-year-old. Shikamaru looks up and smirks at him and Sasuke cocks a smirk back. So it's a competition, huh?

Sasuke lifts his paper up, as if to check his answers, flashing to Shikamaru his already completed paper. Satisfied, he leans back.

A few seats across he can see Ino scouring the room for a victim, hands already poised in the jutsu. Instead of going for Sakura this time, as she had before, she notices how Shikamaru's already nearly finished and goes for him instead.

People begin to be escorted out for cheating more than five times. Sasuke nearly slaps himself in the face – can genin be _this _stupid? But then again, their year has always been the lucky year – all of the clan heirs, coordinated to be born on the same year to encourage clan relations. It had been a measure the Hokage had put in – if the heirs were all in the same year, hopefully they would become friends and eventually, when they led the clan, there would be greater cooperation.

Except… the Uchiha didn't work that way. Itachi was stubbornly born five years earlier.

Itachi.

When he was eight, he'd been too small, too powerless to stop the events which had been set into motion decades ago. But now – his brother is suffering. Of course, _Itachi_ doesn't think he's suffering, not for 'peace', no. But his brother deserves better than that. He can get his brother out of Akatsuki, can't he? After all, he's bloody Uchiha Sasuke.

Then again, there's bloody Uchiha Madara to deal with. And even Sasuke knows that that's a challenge. After all – it'd taken all of Team 7, the reincarnated Kage, all five countries allied together…

But that had been _after _Madara had had the time to gather his forces. Now he's still vulnerable. Lacking in many tailed beasts. He could- no. He still couldn't. Not by himself.

Sasuke looks over at Kabuto. Orochimaru would be on his side.

But then his gaze shifts to Sakura and Naruto. They'd help him too.

"Time's up!" Ibiki announces sharply. Some of the genin jump in surprise and Ibiki smirks.

"Now… it's time for the tenth question. Except this is a bit of a special question. You see – it is one which is very important and thus if you fail to answer it correctly… you will be forever banned from taking any more chuunin examinations!"

There are gasps around the room but Sasuke acknowledges that now that he's older and more experienced the threat sounds completely fake – after all, how would all the other countries agree to it? Why would the village sacrifice so much available manpower? After all, like Kakashi said, even though there are those who stand out, Konoha still needs its disposable weapons. And plus, what does it say about the shinobi system in general if one question is that important? Everything is so much more complex than that that it's impossible to condense it into one question.

"So, we are offering you a way out," Ibiki says, eyeing them each carefully. "You may give up, but in doing so, your _whole team _will fail."

There's a beat of silence. The people around the room begin sneaking looks at their teammates, trying to decipher what they're all thinking, whether they're all confident. Sakura is sitting primly on her chair, posture perfect. Her gaze never wavers from Ibiki's. Sasuke turns to Naruto next – is he going to make the speech? It'll save lots of people, but it'll also mean that they'll have to hold the preliminaries.

And the preliminaries were bad times.

A chuunin plant stands up.

"I- I give up!" he stutters. "I can't- I can't do this!"

His two 'teammates' stand up and grumble. The chuunin at the sides shuffle all three out. A few tense seconds later, another chuunin plant gives up.

Sasuke watches the room, watches as some people swallow nervously, glancing apologetically at their teammates. A real genin stands up next and gives up.

Another chuunin plant gives up right after and that seems to be the catalyst. More and more people stand up, giving up, and Sasuke eyes Naruto carefully. The speech still hasn't happened – is the blonde aware of the impact his speech will have? Is he saving them the bloodshed of the preliminaries?

And then to the side, Sakura begins to raise her arm.

Sasuke nearly falls off his chair – what is she _doing?_

"Oi!" Naruto says quickly, standing up. "Listen up. I've got something to say about this stupid question!"

Sakura's hand drops. Sasuke's eyes bug. Did she plan that? _Why?_

Sakura turns around on her chair. Naruto begins spewing his speech but she says quietly – "It's too important. The preliminaries were horrible, yes, but _too important._"

Naruto finishes his speech triumphantly. Ibiki nods in approval, waiting a few seconds before smiling.

"You all… PASS."

* * *

**AN: **So things went differently this time around for a few reasons. As the timing with Lee and all was off, Team 7 didn't get that whole get together with the other rookies + Kabuto. Kabuto was going to make it happen anyway, but now that Sasuke's approached him it isn't necessary anymore. Though that doesn't mean it won't happen before the second stage…

Thanks to all the lovely commenters, **Mistress Memoir, Enbi, NarutoxHonoka, Lamelinam, usaginekohime, nolongerinusehere, peinluvscookies, proudy9, Enigma infinite, Illuminated, Camotaru, Guest, Raenvoll, Shen, ClownWhosFeelInDown, sagar hussain, HaywireEagle, The Last Deathly Guardian, queen-sheep, Lilyzinha, Higashiyama Sayuri's Devout, rawr, SuperGota, pucflek,** **zigmas** and **long live marshmallows**. Seriously your comments keep me going guys thank you so much.

Also contemplating writing a self-insert into Kiri, written a bit of it but not sure where it'll go... oh well.

As I'm sure many of you have noticed as well, Sakura's kind of held the balance of power for the time for being so political and brainy. But now the focus is shifting towards strength so that'll start shifting too.

Next chapter will be exciting though: I've planned the Orochimaru shebang, Sand Sibling stuff and Kurama makes an appearance :)

Thanks for reading and hope you all enjoyed!


	19. The Chuunin Exams - III

**AN: **Next chap up for ya x

* * *

**_The Chuunin Exams - III_**

* * *

**Sakura**

"Sakura!" Hinata exclaims. "You made it! I thought you were going to be late."

Sakura smiles gently at the Hyuuga heiress. Next to her, Kiba leans forward curiously and Shino peers at her steadily through his glasses.

"Hey Hinata," Sakura greets. "Kiba-san? Is it? And Shino-san?"

"Yeah." Kiba nods. Akamaru pops his head out of his jacket and sniffs her curiously. "Where're your teammates?"

Sakura's smile becomes strained. "Naruto is with Sasuke. I think they're talking to Team 10." It's a definite role reversal – before it was Naruto goading Kiba, hugging Hinata, forgetting Shino's name, and it was _her _arguing with Ino, teasing Shikamaru and stealing Chouji's chips.

"Nine rookies – to the second phase! Man, Konoha is _dominating _this year, eh?" Kiba whoops, drawing annoyed looks from all the other genin waiting outside the Forest of Death.

"I wouldn't get too confident if I were you," a voice cuts in smoothly. A shudder immediately runs through Sakura but she quickly masks it, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"My name's Kabuto," he introduces. He smiles friendlily, glasses glinting in the sun. He gestures up at his hitai-ite where the leaf symbol shines proudly, free of scratches. Sakura frowns – a hitai-ite that undamaged means that he stole it. New, for this disguise.

"Kiba," Kiba grins, "And this is Shino, Hinata-chan, and-"

"Haruno Sakura," Sakura interjects smoothly, holding out a hand. Kabuto eyes her levelly before grasping her hand.

Sakura expects a weak handshake – after all, it would match his guise of a blubbering genin unsure of himself – but instead, he grasps her hand firmly and squeezes his fingers, almost crushing hers.

Sakura narrows her eyes almost imperceptibly and reinforces her hand with chakra. Kabuto's face shows no sign of feeling the burn of her chakra – instead, his smile widens.

"Now Sakura-san," he says, "It's good to see you made it in time, huh? I almost thought you were going to be late. What could be so important that it'd delay you from the exam?"

"It was something stupid," Sakura mutters, ducking her head in feigned embarrassment. But she keeps an eye on Kabuto through the strands of her hair – does he know? Does he suspect? Naruto and Sasuke were supposedly looking after him, but knowing how distracted Naruto gets – and how much he trusts Sasuke to do the job…

"I'm sure it wasn't," Kabuto continues, smiling wider. "After all, I saw you conversing with a few Grass ninja – am I right?"

Sakura stills. She knows what he's saying – what he's implying. Her plan – Team 7's plan – had been to move the faceless bodies of the Grass ninja closer to where Anko was stationed, to hopefully hurry her discovery of Orochimaru. But she had thought that she was secure – how did Kabuto find her? He isn't as strong now, not without absorbing Orochimaru, but then again, neither is she. Not at this age, despite all she's worked for. But she shouldhave sensed him!

Sakura purses her lips. She'd _forgotten _that he was also a highly trained medic ninja. His control over his chakra – and that includes suppressing it – is just as good as hers.

"In fact, I wanted to talk to them myself – people from Grass are a weird bunch, aren't they? But unfortunately one of them is already gone."

Kabuto's smile grows into a smirk and Sakura whirls around. And he's right – in the Grass nin team Shiore – _Orochimaru – _is gone. _Hiding the bodies again. _

"I have to go to the bathroom," she says quickly, but then Kabuto's hand clamps onto her arm. She can feel his chakra reinforcement, burning into her skin.

"You will do no such thing," he says quietly.

"Oi!" Kiba buts in, "Don't talk to her like that!"

A figure suddenly appears behind her and Kabuto's smirk widens.

"Lay your hands off my teammate," Sasuke orders quietly.

For a second, Sakura feels grateful, but then she remembers exactly _what _had led to that confrontation and her thankfulness turns immediately to anger.

"Sasuke-kun," she says faux-sweetly, venom dripping off each syllable, "So you were paying attention _after all."_

Sasuke stares at Kabuto steadily before the older genin relinquishes his grip on her arm. Sakura can already feel it beginning to bruise.

"Excuse us," she says politely with a tight smile.

"Sakura-" Hinata begins, eyes tightening in worry, but Sakura gives her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry," she says, and she means it. Then her hand finds Sasuke's and she latches onto it in an iron grip.

"Good luck," she nods to the group. Kabuto continues to smile beguilingly.

Ignoring him, she pulls Sasuke away, heart thudding.

"You were supposed to keep an eye on him!" she hisses quietly.

"He saw," Sasuke notes quietly, a frown adorning his face.

"Of course he did! What were you doing? What were you _thinking? _What was _Naruto _thinking?"

Sakura turns and glares at her other teammate. He gives her an apologetic smile over Shikamaru's shoulder.

"To be honest, he was too busy staring at you and Team 8."

Sakura groans. "This is done. We're dead. Dead. Done. Destroyed. Decimated. Absolutely de-"

This time Sasuke's arm grabs hers and wrenches her back into step with him.

"You're not done," he says almost petulantly, voice tinged with annoyance. "You'll be fine."

"Cause you're so sure-" Sakura begins to bite back, but suddenly she stops mid step.

"You're so sure," she repeats slowly, and Sasuke's looking at her in that look of his which says that he doesn't understand but he _does- _

"You also said 'you'," Sakura continues carefully. "_You're _not done. _You'll _be fine."

Sasuke bristles. Naruto, probably sensing that things had started going horribly wrong, calmly detaches himself from Team 10 and hurries over.

"Picked a side already?" Sakura asks, tone joking but eyes deadly serious.

Sasuke grits his teeth.

"_Welcome _to the second phase of the chuunin exams!" Anko's voice rings out. Sasuke lets out a relieved breath and Sakura grabs Naruto's hand, wrenching him towards her. He glances at her curiously but her death grip on his palm seems to answer his questions. He lets out a shaky breath and turns to where Anko has appeared.

"For the second phase of this exam, you'll each be assigned a heaven or earth scroll. Your objective is to acquire the type of scroll you don't have – and yes, that means taking it from another team."

The genin below her burst into nervous chatter but Anko silences them immediately with a hand in the air.

"You'll be entering Training Ground 44 over here – also known as the Forest of Death. You have three days to complete your task – if you do, you pass. If you don't, you don't. Simple as that. And of course, a few rules before I forget – you're forbidden to open the scrolls – if you do you'll fail – and you need to sign some waivers."

"…waivers?" a girl from Iwa asks tentatively.

Anko smiles. "That's right. _Waivers. _Because there are ugly things in the Forest of Death, not to mention that these exams tend to get quite… competitive. To put it simply, they're waivers stating that you acknowledge that you could die."

"D-d-die?" Kiba stutters quietly.

"Die," Anko confirms. "It could be from anything – maybe you ate the wrong plant, pissed off the wrong animal. Or maybe another genin team got too enthusiastic." She shrugs. "There are many ways. Anyway, if you'll just all head off over to where the chuunin are waiting, they'll hand you a waiver each and assign your team a scroll. Now, that should cover it. As always, good luck."

Most of the genin are frozen after her words. Temari, Kankurou and Gaara begin pushing through the crowd to where the chuunin are waiting.

"Let's go," Naruto murmurs, nudging Sakura. She nods and trails after him, Sasuke following after her further away.

"Village? Team?" the chuunin drones, not bothering to look up at them.

"Konohagakure. Kakashi." Naruto says with a small smirk.

This causes the chuunin to pause. He looks up at them, eyes turning to Sasuke and the Uchiha fan sewn onto his shirt before resting on Naruto.

"Well?" Sakura asks, a tad impatiently.

The chuunin snorts before flipping his notebook open, running his finger down the page before he comes to their team.

"Earth," he grunts before reaching into a large sack and pulling out an earth scroll. "Waivers are in a pile behind me – go collect them, sign them, and give them to Anko. Once you've done that, head over to Gate 8 – that's where you'll be entering from."

Naruto nods, his hands wrapping around the scroll. Sasuke pushes passed them, grabbing three waivers from the pile and picking up a pen from the table, quickly signing all three and heading off to Anko.

"Think they'll care?" Naruto asks curiously. "I mean, someone's bound to have seen that."

"Not really," Sakura says honestly, "I can't really see Anko caring about something like that."

Naruto nods, staring curiously at where Sasuke's gone to hand in the waivers for their team. The chuunin next to Anko ticks their name off and, a second later, Kabuto appears with the waivers from his team.

"They're talking," Naruto murmurs.

"Yeah," Sakura says quietly. She can hear the sadness in her voice, and in his too.

"Will we ever stop chasing him, you reckon?"

Sakura bites her lip, pushing her heels off the ground and hurrying over to their entrance – Gate 8. Naruto sighs and trails after her.

"You're not going to listen in? They probably won't notice if you do it – you've got that weird trick of masking your chakra with a normal chakra flow right?"

Sakura still doesn't answer.

* * *

**Sasuke**

He _had _been watching Kabuto, had _let_ him go off after Sakura.

"Your teammates are quite something," Kabuto murmurs. "Even though I've only met the girl, I have no doubt the kyuubi jinchuuriki will be just as impressive."

Sasuke frowns. His teammate isn't _just _the kyuubi jinchuuriki.

"Perhaps they have some worth after all… how loyal are they?"

Sasuke snorts, thinking about Naruto and his constant insistence on becoming Hokage. And Sakura, his right hand man.

_Take me with you Sasuke-kun – I love you!_

Sasuke scowls at the memory. That had been a long, _long _time ago.

"Hn," he shrugs instead, choosing not to answer. Kabuto can take that however he wants to take it.

"They're leaving without you," Kabuto notes, smile widening. "You should catch up to them."

Even now, Sasuke gets that _annoying _feeling that Kabuto knows something he doesn't, as if he's so much more superior.

"Tell me when Orochimaru and I can talk," he says instead.

Kabuto smiles beguilingly. "I'd say that'd be soon, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke resists gritting his teeth in frustration, instead whirling around and following promptly after Sakura and Naruto. So it seems that Orochimaru still plans on ambushing them in the Forest of Death after all.

"Hey Sasuke," Sakura greets quietly.

Naruto thumps him on the back and Sasuke winces. But then again, they've always shown their displeasure physically – only Sakura was really that good with words.

All the genin teams had been placed separately in different gates to ensure that there wasn't an immediate bloodbath. Some teams would get lucky with the teams around them choosing to play the avoidance tactic. Others, like their team last time around, would be immediately ambushed by a neighbouring team.

"Who wants to hold the scroll?" Naruto chooses to ask instead, waving the scroll.

Sakura seems grateful for the innocent topic, jumping up immediately. "They saw you take it – Rain was watching us – and they saw me see them see you. So they probably assumed that I'd told you to give it to someone else – I made my staring was quite obvious. So you should keep it. Plus, well, you're… yeah."

Naruto's the strongest, she's saying, but is she right? Sasuke stares at his two teammates analytically – Naruto is untrained this round, and on top of that him and the kyuubi aren't friends yet. On the other hand, he's had the benefit of training with Shisui as well as another round of clan conditioning. He'd be well placed to argue that _he _is the stronger one this time around.

"Sure," Naruto shrugs, slipping the scroll inside his tracksuit.

In truth, they don't even need to have this conversation. It's not as if any of the other teams are capable of taking their scroll – not even the Sand Siblings. Because while Gaara is a force of his own, him plus Temari and Kankurou are still no match against the three of them together.

But he supposes that they're doing what they all do best – avoiding the problem. And if that means overanalysing a task as easy as this, so be it.

"Did you go to the toilet this time?" Sakura asks with a curl of her lips, referencing last time around when Naruto had to take a leak and was knocked out by a Rain genin.

"No," Naruto chuckles, "but I can still go if you want me to."

A large horn sounds, reverberating through the forest, and the gate opens.

"Ready?" Sakura asks, and the question is a lot more loaded than it seems.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Naruto shrugs. Both of his teammates turn to him.

"Let's go," he says instead. There's no point wasting time on such useless conversation after all.

The three enter the forest and a strong sense of déjà vu hits Sasuke. He remembers walking this same path, back when revenge on Itachi had seemed like such a faraway thing before Orochimaru put things into perspective. What had he been worried about back then? Not any of the other genin – he was too confident for that. He'd been looking forward to clashing with Neji and Gaara with absolutely no idea of the power of the latter. Perhaps he'd been worried about death by poisoning or something stupid like that.

"Nice weather today," Sakura says suddenly. "Good thing cause we don't want it to rain during our exams."

"That would suck," Naruto agrees, and immediately all three are on alert. Rain is watching them from the treetops, waiting for an opportunity to attack.

"I need to go to the-"

"Shut up," Sasuke cuts in sharply. Naruto scowls.

"What's your problem teme?"

Sasuke scowls back. They don't have the time to waste on something stupid like the Rain ninja.

"Take them out," he says blankly, and Sakura looks absolutely horrified at his lack of subtlety.

Naruto sighs. "Never one for wasting time, were you? Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Sasuke quirks an eyebrow. "You still shout out your techniques? I thought we agreed that was counterproductive."

"Oi," Naruto shouts as his three clones jump into the treetops, engaging the Rain nin, "_I _happen to be so amazing that it doesn't even matter if the opponent can plan ahead for my attack – they won't be able to dodge it anyway."

He grins roguishly and Sakura slaps him over the top of the head. "Don't be so confident baka. _I _seem to remember that time when Kakashi-sensei-"

"I was going easy on him!"

"He was _fifty. _And he beat you in _twenty minutes."_

Sasuke clears his throat. "When did this happen?"

Sakura's shoulders drop. "When you were gone. Naruto had stolen his Icha Icha collection – you know, to incite some motivation."

"Too much motivation," Naruto grumbles.

Sasuke can sense Orochimaru heading towards them. Sakura has no idea – she's good, but then people like Orochimaru, Madara, Kabuto, Akatsuki – they're good as well. But he know his ex-sensei is coming. His neck has already begun tingling, out of habit if nothing else.

Sasuke frowns – Orochimaru must have really gotten to his head if his _neck _is physically tingling this time around.

But Sakura does sense the sudden surge of chakra which flares before a large gust of wind heads their way. Instinctively she grabs Naruto and yanks him to the side, stopping him from being swept away like last time.

"_Orochimaru," _she hisses, and even though he can't hear her he can see her mouth moving, spitting the words.

The gust of wind dissipates and Sasuke frowns – Orochimaru is doing the exact same thing as he did last time. Did his words with Kabuto have no effect?

On the other side of the gust of wind, Sakura and Naruto have already assumed battle stances. Sasuke pauses, pondering if he should do the same, but Orochimaru appears before he can.

Shiore appears before them, so fast that his normal eyes couldn't detect the movement. Orochimaru cocks his head and surveys the three in front of him, not bothering to disable them like he did last time. Instead, he simply stares at them.

Seconds of silence tick by. Orochimaru stares at them, they stare back.

"Evaluating our chakra?" Sakura finally says, breaking the silence.

A small smile curls onto Shiore's face. "You do not disappoint."

"Mm," Naruto grunts. Sasuke looks over at them and notices that his teammates had begun to shift towards him, almost protectively. Clenching his jaw, Sasuke steps forward in front of them and faces Orochimaru head on.

"What do you have?" he chooses to ask. "Heaven or earth?"

Orochimaru chuckles. "So this is how you want to play it. I have heaven."

"So do my clones," Naruto pipes up, "Rain had heaven. You know, if you wanted to walk away. Like, right now."

Orochimaru chuckles again, and Sasuke is suitably disturbed by this much laughter from the missing nin within the span of a minute.

"You are a strange boy, Uzumaki Naruto."

Sasuke grits his teeth. Orochimaru is diverting his attention – had that been Naruto's plan? – and it won't do.

"What do you want," he says loudly and Orochimaru turns back to him. Suddenly, Sasuke feels himself being pulled into a genjutsu. In a flash he centres his chakra – quick from so many years of practice – and pulls away before he can view the vision of his death.

The forest melts back into his vision. Sakura recovers just after him and Naruto too, a second later.

Orochimaru's pulling the same tricks, Sasuke thinks with a sneer – making them view their own deaths, trying to paralyse them.

Orochimaru turns to Sakura and Sasuke feels like he's going to scream – didn't he come here for _him? _But instead he simply raises an eyebrow.

"You have a dual personality," Orochimaru notes, cocking his head in interest. "You must have a very strong mind."

Sakura sneers, and Sasuke notes that it's the first time he's seen that ugly expression on her young face.

"Get lost," she spits instead.

"I know what happened," Orochimaru says instead. "You know who I am, don't you? You moved the bodies, and you, Sasuke-kun, let them. _But…"_

Next to him he hears Naruto clench his teeth, Sakura exhale sharply.

"But… you also let Kabuto catch them in the act. Which I am grateful for, actually. Though I'm sure my dear Anko will found out sooner or later anyway. Which brings to the question of why you – three, little genin, managed to accomplish something a team of jounin and ex-ANBU couldn't."

"Oh my god," Sakura says in disbelief.

"Is he trying to recruit us?" Naruto hisses to Sasuke.

Sasuke grits his teeth – what is happening? _This _is not what he meant by 'don't touch my teammates'. He had been trying to insinuate that Orochimaru find him _alone,_ but evidently the snake did _not _get that hint.

"Orochimaru," Sasuke says steadily instead, finally naming him.

Orochimaru laughs and Shiore's face melts off, revealing his true figure. "Very well done, Sasuke-kun. _Very well done. _Now, I suppose you're all wondering why I'm here?_"_

"Give me the cursed seal," Sasuke says quickly.

Orochimaru turns to him in interest. Naruto turns and stares at him in disbelief. Sakura stares at him in horror. Sasuke's neck begins tingling with anticipation.

"Why would you do that to yourself?" she whispers. "Aren't you powerful enough?"

"Show me the sharingan first," Orochimaru says instead, voice almost childishly excited. "I want to see it."

Sasuke turns on his sharingan. Three tomoe spin back – an improvement from last time.

"Very good," Orochimaru laughs, "_very _good! Now, do you want to come here, or should I come to you?"

"Sakura," Naruto says, and then suddenly she slams her hands down onto the ground, causing dust to rise up and obscure the air.

Sasuke narrows his eyes, sharingan already spinning to compensate.

Orochimaru laughs again. "Little genin want to play, do they?"

And then he can sense Sakura running at him and he jumps up and dodges. His teammate may be strong, but she's dreaming if she thinks that she – a _support – _can beat him.

Hands whirling through seals, he blows a large fireball at her incoming figure. She dodges it, as expected, but it's done its purpose – distracted her.

Because after all these years he knows her weakness – her strength is in her chakra control and thus her medical techniques, her super strength, her genjutsu. But all of those have a common denominator – she needs the time to summon her chakra, as all do in ninjutsu techniques. Her strength in her taijutsu only comes from her strength in such ninjutsu.

So in a purely taijutsu battle, Sasuke is faster than her, he is stronger than her, and he will _win. _

His sharingan begins spinning faster and faster in excitement – it's been awhile since he's had such a challenge.

He launches forward with his kunai and Sakura blocks it readily, the two kunai clashing with a sharp screech. Sakura launches back again, retreating, but Sasuke's on her immediately.

Their kunai clash again, and again, Sasuke overwhelming her with sheer speed. She has no time to summon her chakra, and even if she does she's not fast enough to catch him. She keeps on trying to launch back, create distance, but Sasuke manages to keep her on her toes, never giving her a moment to spare.

Finally sensing an opening, Sasuke reaches forward with his left hand and grabs her shoulder, wrenching her towards him. Sakura's eyes widen and she loses her balance, toppling forward. Before she can use chakra to reorientate herself he switches their positions and pushes her onto the ground, other hand finding her fingers and splaying them apart, preventing her from forming seals.

But he doesn't break them. Even now, he still can't harm Sakura so blatantly. Naruto he has no problem with, but perhaps even now Kakashi's words still ring his head – _protect Sakura._

"Very good," Orochimaru curls, and Sasuke looks up, losing the haze that had settled over his head during their battle.

Orochimaru is looking down at him, but he's being bound by chains – Naruto's bloody Adamantine Sealing Chains.

_Of course._

He stares down at the floor in disgust. Sakura had been a distraction – how had he not realised?

Orochimaru turns his gaze to Naruto. "Aren't you going to help your teammate?"

"And let you go? I think not." Naruto glances over to where Sakura is pushed onto the ground. "Sasuke won't hurt her anyway."

Sasuke grits his teeth, tempted to snap her fingers just to prove him wrong. But then suddenly he senses Sakura pushing her chakra towards her hands – just like Kabuto's healing technique – but instead of healing chakra this one _burns _and Sasuke lets go of her wrists in surprise.

Sakura jumps up triumphantly. But she doesn't attack and he doesn't move to either.

"You don't really think these will hold me, do you?" Orochimaru asks with interest, eyeing Naruto.

His teammate sighs. "You sound like Kurama. And no, I know they won't. I don't care, as long as you don't give Sasuke that blasted seal."

"We're not going to stand by and let you do it," Sakura adds, spitting out some dirt that had gotten into her mouth when he'd pushed her down. "Sasuke-kun's _ours."_

Sasuke's head whips around.

She just called him _Sasuke-kun._

And she'd meant it.

As in _Sasuke-kun. _

She hasn't called him that for _years. _

He blinks.

"Sasuke may be a teme," Naruto calls, and he scowls. 'But he's _ours. _And you're not going to touch him if we can help it!"

Orochimaru chuckles, turning to Sasuke.

"Such bonds will only hold you back, you know. You'll never be able to defeat your brother like that."

For a second, his words ring true, but this time he's just strangely empty. He's _already _defeated his brother. He _already _knows the truth. He's not motivated by _that – _he's motivated by the hate for this village – the village which tore apart his family, _twice._

'_We're your family too!'_

Who had said that? Sakura? Naruto? He can't quite remember. Maybe they'd both said it, at some point or another.

_No. _

Maybe Orochimaru's right. These bonds _are _making him weak.

He eyes the snake sannin steadily and Orochimaru seems to see the meaning behind his eyes.

"I'll find you, then," Orochimaru nods.

Sasuke doesn't give him a response, not in front of his teammates, but Orochimaru smiles.

"I see I'll have to re-evaluate my strategies though, with the new information this meeting has given me."

He disappears suddenly, though none of Team 7 seem surprised.

Sasuke lets out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and waits for the backlash.

Instead, there's simply silence.

"…really?" Naruto finally says, and it's not the anger he'd been expecting. Instead, it's _disappointment._

Sasuke bristles. What does _he _have to be disappointed about? How is he at all qualified to be disappointed in him?

"There will come a point," Sakura says quietly, "where we'll finally get tired of fighting for you. And then you'll be well and truly alone, because despite what you think, no one's actually ever cared for you as much as me and Naruto, as Itachi has. And in the end, we all wanted the best for you – the same thing for you – _Konoha."_

"No," Sasuke says, shaking his head. "You always wanted what was the best for _you."_

Sakura recoils and Naruto grits his teeth, jumping off into the forest.

Sakura cracks her jaw.

"I'll see you at the centre, then," she says, and then she disappears as well.

Sasuke blinks.

She'd said _'I'll'. _Not '_we'll'. _Is she not going to find Naruto?

And then, looking down at his hands,

_Had he broken Team 7?_

* * *

**Naruto**

He'd expected it, on some level perhaps.

Even though he'd _hoped – _hope was not enough. Never enough.

_Stupid Sasuke. Was he ever going to get sick of creating problems?_

Now Sakura was gone too. Had felt his kunai in her weapons pouch move farther and farther away. At least the seal he'd slipped onto Orochimaru had worked as well, and now he had tabs on the snake sannin.

Funnily enough, their battle had been relatively quick and easy, but he suspects that Orochimaru hadn't _really_ been fighting – had simply been testing this new Team 7, trying to procure information on exactly what their level was. After all, the information Kabuto had – information from Iruka's Academy files – were no doubt extremely inaccurate.

Sighing, Naruto pulls out the two scrolls from under his tracksuit – one Heaven, one Earth.

Team 7 had completed their mission. They all just needed to be at the centre together and they'd be done, out of this Forest of Death.

It's only the first day, sure. But really, can any of them bear to be in such a place any longer? These exams don't really suit them after all – it's like putting Kakashi against Academy kids and asking him to steal their scroll.

Naruto pauses, eyes wondering over to the direction where Sakura is obstinately making her way to the centre. It's his instinct to go and find her, comfort her, but Sasuke's really hurt her this time around and he suspects that he's too big of a reminder of the painful past they all went through.

Or maybe it's the other way around.

Whatever the reason, he should go to the centre too. By the looks of it, Sasuke and Sakura are all heading there, even if the two of them have purposefully taken different paths.

Slipping the scrolls back into his tracksuit, Naruto takes off after them, telling himself that it's only a coincidence that he too has taken a vastly different route.

He still has some snacks in his backpack from what he'd packed. With his experience he'd packed more food this time, and more practical food at that – some packets of nuts, a bar of chocolate, and an apple, of course, as Sakura used to insist. Pulling out a packet of nuts, he surveys his surroundings curiously.

Sure, there are some deadly animals wondering around, but most are passive unless disturbed. It's a good exam, he supposes, considering how if a genin had snapped a twig or something while walking, or even shouted too loudly, the animal would have taken it as an infringement on its territory and attacked. But with the way Naruto was moving, fast and silent, there were no disturbances.

As for genin… he can feel them littered around. Sakura, he knows, is heading in the direction of the Sound genin and Team Gai, though no doubt she can handle them easily. Sasuke seems to have made it his personal mission to avoid any and all living things and is bulldozing his way through, even if it means that there're some large detours he has to take.

And as for him…

Naruto looks up ahead where he can already smell the scent of blood. Which means, most probably, one thing – the Sand Siblings.

Even though Naruto's used to such bloodshed, he doesn't like it, especially at such a young age. Not to mention this is a slap in the face to the reformed Gaara of the future. The great, _Kazekage _of the future.

Hurrying his speed, Naruto arrives just as Gaara uses his sand coffin on the second member of the team, the third cowering in fear and horror but rendered immobile by Gaara's sand restraints.

Gaara pays him no mind as he arrives but by the look on Temari and Kankurou's face, they expect him to be killed too. Naruto smiles wryly – as if he, after all these years, would be killed like that.

"Hey," he says instead. Kankurou and Temari look all the more mortified. Behind them, up in the trees, he sees Team 10. He hadn't known they were here, but hopefully they're smart enough not to do anything.

"…hello," Temari finally says cautiously. She isn't as snarky now as she was before, but that may be because her brother's just killed two people.

Gaara, still ignoring him, turns to the third, raising his hand. And Naruto doesn't even hesitate – he might as well start saving lives now. It'd make him feel better anyway, considering the whole Orochimaru fiasco which'd just happened.

"Gaara," he says immediately, and Temari shakes her head as if to say – he's done for. The red-head stills but doesn't lower his hand.

"Gaara," he repeats, and his old friend turns his blank green gaze onto him. They're a paler green to Sakura's, he notes, and completely devoid of the drive that was present in them last time around.

Well. He'll just have to fix that now, won't he?

"Listen to me, don't listen to mother."

Kankurou's jaw drops. Gaara's eyes narrow and he drops the third, quivering member, turning instead to Naruto. He raises his hand and his sand stirs.

Naruto frowns – he's not ready to listen. Luckily, in the trees behind them, Shino is holding his teammates back from helping – cruel, but necessary. He can handle Gaara – they can't.

Perhaps it's time to ask for a favour.

"Wait," he says to Gaara. The red-head actually stops, almost confused. But then again, no one's ever asked him to _wait – _only stop.

And then Naruto's eyes roll back.

"Shukaku's quite a pleasant guy," Naruto says calmly.

Kurama opens his eyes, looks at him calmly from where he's resting.

**He is, **he simply says.

"I… have you thought about what I said?"

**Yes, **Kurama answers steadily.

"And you're ready to cooperate to destroy Uchiha Madara?"

**Somewhat, **he shrugs. Naruto frowns but he supposes it's as good as he'll get, especially from such a temperamental fox. In fact, he's probably lucky Kurama hasn't exploded at him.

"Well it starts with this. That boy out there – he's instrumental in Madara's demise. Could you have a talk with him?"

Kurama laughs – actually laughs – and Naruto blinks.

**The relationship between us is even worse than that between the Uchiha brothers. There's too much history.**

"Good," Naruto says, and Kurama raises an eyebrow. "Then you should look to the future, eh? Help me. Help yourself. Help the world for once."

**He's going to kill you, **Kurama says quietly.

"Then I hope you have a good argument."

Naruto opens his eyes to the forest, right as the sand rushes up his legs. But then he smiles, feeling Kurama's chakra reach out and cloak him in orange, dispelling the sand.

Naruto raises his hand and an orange arm extends out from it. Gaara's eyes widen but then Kurama forces himself passed his sand barrier, cracking the armour on his skin and Gaara closes his eyes, drawn into his mind for a conversation with Kurama and Shukaku.

Temari and Kankurou stare at him incredulously. Naruto sighs – Kurama didn't pull him into this conversation as well, but he supposes that's too much to ask of the fox at such a tentative stage anyway. And they'd been lucky too – Gaara's shock of someone managing to actually touch him, even if it wasn't with the intention to harm, had surprised him long enough to still him for Kurama to invade his mind.

Temari and Kankurou continue to flicker their gaze between Naruto and the still Gaara. Naruto cocks his head at the last remaining member of the team Gaara'd been about to kill and he scampers, finally realising how lucky he was. Then, sifting through the blood and guts, Naruto comes across an earth scroll. Looking back up at the trees, he waves it.

Hinata stares at him with a new look in her eyes. Kiba stares down in horror and Naruto winces. But Shino has the mind to nod and Naruto throws it up at them.

"Hey," Temari finally manages to say. "What are you doing?"

"Did you need that?" Naruto asks, somewhat guiltily. Temari looks up at the trees and realises that the death count could have reached seven.

"…no. We had both."

Naruto nods. They wait for him to ask but he doesn't – he knows that Gaara just needed the bloodshed to satisfy Shukaku. The two jinchuuriki had talked a lot in the future because really, there were things that no one else understood.

"I do too," Naruto says, and neither look surprised. "Should we head off to the centre then, once Gaara recovers?"

The reminder of their brother cause both to wince, but Temari nods.

"Where are your teammates?" Kankurou asks. "Why do you have both scrolls, and why are you split up?"

Naruto shrugs, smiling sadly. "Just some internal fighting."

"Really?" Kankurou says doubtfully, probably thinking about the flawless teamwork they'd shown when they'd first met.

"Yeah," Naruto says sadly. "Really."

* * *

**AN: **That took a bit long to get out and unfortunately next one will be too. I'm not in a great place right now but hopefully that doesn't affect my writing.

As always, thanks to all the reviewers: **Nyght elf, Suzululu4moe, Illuminated, NarutoXHonoka, long live marshmallows, HaywireEagle, SuperGota, Guest, Furudere, Ageiko, Lamelinam, proudy9, Vampy Kitten, Vahnaut22, sagar hussein, Catcrazzed, pucflek, Guest **and **Insert name here. **

Lots of love xx hope you all enjoyed this comment and please review!


	20. The Chuunin Exams - IV

**AN: **What's this? An update? I know guys... I'm so sorry for leaving you hanging for that long but at least I got this up right? I hope you all enjoy it - it took me quite a while to churn out and the beginning was written quite a while ago while the rest just recently so yeah... it's probably a bit disjointed.

Hope you guys still enjoy x

* * *

_**The Chuunin Exams – IV**_

* * *

**Sakura**

Sakura feels a sick sense of enjoyment as she grasps Kin's hair, watching the other girl struggle in her grip.

"You _bitch," _Kin hisses.

"Shouldn't have tried to take me on alone," Sakura shrugs instead, pulling tighter on the other kunoichi's hair. "Long hair is _so_ inconvenient, you know."

Kin scoffs but the action tugs harder on her hair and she winces. "Who would've thought Pinky had some bite in her after all? But you won't get away with this - my teammates will come for me."

"No," Sakura shrugs, "They won't. It's your fault you underestimated me. See you in the third round. Maybe."

But Kin hadn't been lying– Sakura can sense two signatures approaching, Kin's teammates no doubt. God knows they're not hers.

"What are you talking about-"

Casually, Sakura knocks the back of Kin's head with her elbow and the elder kunoichi slumps down unconscious. Standing up properly and dusting off her dress, Sakura looks up at the treetops.

"Hi Lee," she says quietly.

Lee jumps down, oddly mute.

"Hello Sakura-san," he nods back, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Well," Sakura says blankly, feeling awkward under his intense inspection, "If you'll excuse me I must be going. You know, before her two teammates get here."

Lee seems to nod automatically but as she leaves, he quickly appears in front of her.

"You're strong," he says, seemingly mystified. "I thought… I was ready to help you."

Sakura smiles softly. "I appreciate that. But I'm fine by myself."

Lee looks around. "I don't have any chakra - I can't sense, you know - so I'm not quite sure but… your teammates are not with you?"

Sakura's smile drops. "No."

"…will you be alright?"

"Of course," Sakura says, smiles gently for his sake if nothing else - god knows Lee worries too much. "I'm going to go now, alright?"

She can sense Kin's teammates coming closer, no doubt realising by now that something's gone wrong with their plan.

"You should go too. Have you got two scrolls yet?"

Lee nods enthusiastically. "Yes! But we have been constantly attacked by other teams trying to get them."

"Your team needs you," Sakura says, almost wistfully. "You should go back to them."

Lee looks at her, uncharacteristically serious as well. "Yours needs you too."

Sakura smiles a strained smile and shunshin's away before he can answer. It's a cheat, sure – after all, she knows the Forest of Death well enough to shunshin, not to mention she knows the technique itself, but she's not going to waste such a good escape opportunity.

Lee will be able to handle the rest of the Sound team if he doesn't leave, but she reckons he'll go back to Team Gai.

Even though most of the signatures in the Forest of Death she doesn't recognise, there are a few signatures that she's well enough attuned to to recognise, even in this life. Naruto is almost at the centre, the Sand Siblings with him. Sasuke has made himself particularly hard to find, but she can feel him somewhere close to the centre too. She knows his quirks but he knows hers too, and in fights within Team 7 that's always inevitable.

Sakura pauses, hidden behind the trees just around the Sand Siblings, and stops masking her chakra signature. Gaara doesn't sense her – doesn't even look like he's bothering to do so. But then again, knowing his power, he doesn't really need to pre-empt anything. Temari notices her though, the older kunoichi narrowing her eyes as she turns to where Sakura is hidden.

"Hey Sakura," Naruto says quietly.

Sakura steps out of the trees, giving the Sand Siblings a terse nod. She had known them well after doing a medic exchange program with Suna, but she recognises that the current version of them is quite a lot different to them from the future.

"Naruto," she greets. "Temari-san. Kankurou-san. Gaara-san."

"We've met before," Gaara says quietly. Sakura appraises the steadiness in his voice, eyes darting to Naruto. Her teammate casually places his hand over his stomach, indicating Kurama.

"Yes," Sakura says cautiously, still unsure of what happened. "My name is Haruno Sakura."

Gaara nods minutely. "I recall."

"Well," Naruto attempts with a smile, "That's two thirds of us here. Wanna head over to the centre? Can you tell where S-Sasuke is?"

Sakura clenches her fist as Naruto stumbles over their teammate's name.

"Well enough," she snaps. "Let's go."

She whirls towards the centre and marches forward, Naruto and the Sand Siblings following her tail.

"Moody," Kankurou whispers to Temari and Sakura bristles, but Naruto speeds up and clamps his hand over her wrist before she can do anything.

"…you still have the scrolls?" Sakura asks, even though it's a stupid question with an obvious answer, all to avoid talking about what they need to talk about.

"Yeah," Naruto mumbles back. The centre emerges in front of them, partly obscured by the treetops.

"Finally," Sakura grunts, "Let's go."

As the trees part, she makes out the silhouette of a figure. Bright red stands out, muted by the dark blue and white around it.

Sasuke's Uchiha shirt.

"Number three," Kankurou announces.

Sasuke turns around at his voice.

"You brought the Sand Siblings," he says, a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

"Oi," Naruto scolds, "Be nice." He bumps his shoulder with Sasuke and then the two of them are walking forward together.

Sakura blinks.

It's as if nothing's happened.

"You gonna go or not?" Kankurou asks from behind her, almost bumping into her still figure.

"One day," Sakura sighs, "I'm going to pummel you."

"Tch," Kankurou scoffs, but he doesn't dismiss her.

In front of her her teammates have opened the door.

"Alright," Naruto announces, pulling out his scrolls, "Let's do this."

"Do what?" Temari asks cautiously.

Sasuke shoots her a derogatory look and Temari bristles. "Open the scrolls of course," he says, rolling his eyes.

"Hey," Temari says, stepping forward in anger. "We're not supposed to do that. Plus, you haven't even read the poem!"

She gestures towards the inscription that Sakura had decoded last time around.

Naruto dismisses her protests and opens his scroll. Immediately, Iruka appears with a puff of smoke.

Their sensei blinks.

"That was fast," he says blankly. Then he sighs. "You _were_ ready."

Relenting, the Sand Siblings step to the side and open their own scroll. Another chuunin appears in front of their team.

"Were you eating dinner?" Naruto asks, peering curiously at the piece of rice on the side of their sensei's mouth. Iruka flushes and quickly wipes it off.

"They usually tell us when our teams are nearly done so we can prepare to be summoned, but- well. I wasn't notified about this."

"Sorry sensei," Naruto says sheepishly. Iruka softens and pats him on the head.

"No worries guys – I'm your sensei! I'm supposed to help!"

Naruto grins brightly and Sakura smiles. Iruka-sensei has always had a special place in her teammate's heart.

Iruka begins explaining all the logistics, using the same speech as last time. Sakura's eyes slide over to Naruto where he's drinking in the new information eagerly. He'll probably go find Jiraiya and convince him to train him. She looks to the other side where Sasuke stands grimly, lips pursed in a thin line. He'll probably… She doesn't even think about what he'll probably do, but it won't be good. As for her, she should probably follow him, find what he's up to-

Sakura clenches her jaw. _No. _It's time her life stopped revolving around him. So what if she's still bitter about when he left her on that _bench? _She'll get over it. God it's been _years. _She _has _to get over it.

She'll do something for herself. She doesn't need to know anything more about medical ninjutsu, but her genjutsu skills could use improvement. Her chakra control gives her an affinity for them after all, and with all of Naruto and Sasuke's confrontational power, she needs something of her own too. After all, she knows that the both of them can beat her easily in a physical battle.

"…so come back in two days. The Hokage will be here and he'll explain what's going to happen next. You guys are lucky because you'll get some extra rest so you'll have that advantage over the other genin." Iruka pauses, looking at all of them fondly. "Good luck."

Naruto grins. "Thanks sensei."

Iruka smiles at him, eyes crinkling. "Alright. Now, I got to get going eh? We'll catch up sometime."

Naruto nods enthusiastically and Iruka puffs away.

"Let's go," Sakura says gruffly. To be honest she's not in the mood to make small talk and entertain the Sand Siblings – a duty they're sort of bound to do since they've given it away that they know their identities as esteemed guests – but with all that's happened today she really can't be bothered.

Sasuke doesn't respond verbally, simply giving a half shrug and poofing away.

She looks at Naruto.

"Are you going to follow him?"

Naruto shakes his head. "Are you?"

Sakura smiles softly.

"I'll see you then," Naruto nods abruptly.

"Yeah," Sakura murmurs. Her teammate disappears too, no doubt looking for the Toad Sannin.

Sakura glances over to where the Sand Siblings' chuunin is still talking to them, explaining the details. Quickly exiting the building before he can finish, Sakura glances out at the forest. The sun has just about set now, the previously pale moon beginning to gleam.

All of her friends are out there, in the forest, battling for something elusive. Sighing, Sakura jumps up unto the top of the building and sits down, glancing out onto the landscape. The forest isn't really full of death, she thinks. It's not its fault that ninja always intrude into it, disturb it, systematically chop it down. It just wants to be left _alone. _

Sakura's eyes flicker down. Kabuto's team is making their way towards the centre of the building, Kabuto trailing behind his two teammates as he keeps the façade of being 'weak'. He fakes a yawn, allowing his eyes to drift up to where she's sitting. That's the only acknowledgement she gets.

His team continues inside and Sakura leans back so that she's facing the stars. The exam proctors must be shocked – three teams already done, this early. Four soon, if Team 8 don't run into any trouble. But Kabuto, just like them, had no doubt found it terribly easy and once he saw that they were done, there was no point in him and his team lingering any more.

Briefly, she wonders if they killed anyone for their scroll. If their quick finish had meant they'd had to take drastic measures.

A few moments later the Sand Siblings emerge. She listens to them bicker for a while about where to have dinner before retreating.

She ponders leaving now, going home to see her parents, telling them about how she's aced her exams so far. Or maybe she could actually talk to them, confide in them.

Or not. After all, that would just end up being another area her enemies could exploit. And she had to keep them safe. Not to mention they'd be devastated that their little girl turned into such a monster. That their cute, angelic little 'Sakura-chan' grew up to be everyone's worst nightmare. When her parents had still been in Konoha she had been passive medic-nin. Then she'd sent them away, to keep them safe during the war, and she was Root Commander Haruno Sakura.

They would be horrified at their daughter, Sakura thinks. _I've killed her. The Sakura they once knew. And in her place is something truly dreadful. _

And for the first time in a long, long time, Sakura lets herself cry. She stares up into the night sky and the tears fall, some dropping messily across her cheeks, others rolling down to fall onto her lips.

"I knew it," Kabuto says quietly.

Sakura takes a deep breath and sits up.

"Knew what?" she asks steadily. Even if she's an emotional wreck right now, she will _not _lose sight of what's important.

"How the three of you know of everything," Kabuto says quietly. "You were crying."

"Yes," Sakura says, almost defensively. "I'm only twelve. I _can _cry you know."

"Twelve," Kabuto muses, letting out a quiet sigh. "I was only twelve once too."

Immediately Sakura is on guard. She's always prized herself on being able to read the opposition, something her teammates both relied on her doing considering how hopeless they were at it. But Kabuto – where is he going with this?

"You were crying," Kabuto repeats, "And I think we both know that you're not really the crying type, are you?"

He leans forward, glasses glinting in the moonlight but Sakura refuses to back down.

"Strength of spirit," Kabuto continues, "They've taught you well… _Akatsuki spy."_

Sakura blinks.

"What?"

Kabuto smiles. "Now. Don't pretend to be oblivious Sakura-chan. We both know the truth."

Sakura immediately schools her features, but her heart is hammering loudly. She quickly tries to calm it down, knowing that Kabuto as a medic-nin can probably hear it thudding. But he smiles instead, no doubt taking her increasing heart rate as a sign of her admittance of guilt.

"The truth," Sakura tests. Kabuto thinks she's an _Akatsuki spy – _which makes sense, considering how they all knew too much about them. And to be honest, it's not a bad hypothesis. She's just not quite sure how to repond.

"It's alright," Kabuto continues, features schooled into a comforting expression. "I know how you feel Sakura – is that even your name? Pity they weren't more creative with your disguise. Sakura is a bit too generic and obvious. But who can help it, eh?"

He leans forward again and Sakura realises that he's in essence trapped her – unless she's willing to bring down the building and cause mass havoc she's stuck here. And also - her name is _not _generic.

"Does Akatsuki know that you've been feeding their information to your teammates? I know how the heart grows sentimental and you want to keep them safe, but listen to me. When they find out you've blabbed, they _will _kill you. They did well hiding you from my knowledge but you've given yourself away, spy."

Sakura stays obstinately silent. She won't confirm or deny his accusations – all that hinges on what he says next. He seems to take her silence as loyalty to her supposed masters.

"I'll tell you what they'll do if they find out, though. They'll _kill _you. And not just kill, they'll torture you, and anyone you care about. Naruto-kun? Sasuke-kun? Your parents? They'll destroy them."

By now he is obviously bluffing. Akatsuki would never do something that obvious – not at this time, at least – they don't have the power yet. But Kabuto obviously thinks that her persona doesn't know this so she gives him something to work with, bristling at his words.

"But we can protect you," Kabuto curls gently. "Orochimaru and I care very much about your team, Sakura-chan. Sasuke-kun is very precious to us, and you can be too. We'll even let Naruto come along."

Kabuto _is _a real snake. Pretending that they don't really care about her two teammates, _or _her - as if they don't recognise what a catch the loyalty of the three of them would be. Sakura opens her mouth to respond but then the two of them immediately turn to the forest. Team 8 advances towards the building, filtering just inside their sight of sense. Sakura narrows her eyes – Kabuto is just as proficient at sensing as she is, and considering all the experience she's had, she can't deny his prowess.

She reaches out, trying to pinpoint Team 8's exact position when she suddenly stumbles across another signature, almost perfectly hidden from her field of vision.

Her only giveaway is a slight widening of the eyes but Kabuto picks up on it immediately and his gaze turns to the hidden figure, lips curling into a smile.

"Sasuke," he purrs.

* * *

**Sasuke**

Sasuke sighs, taking a deep breath of fresh air. He's probably driving the examiners crazy now – wondering through the Forest of Death mindlessly despite his exam being already over.

A small hiss in front of him alerts him to another's presence. Sasuke's footsteps pause and he perks his ears up – animals, not including ninja summons, don't have enough chakra to be detected by ninja. Sasuke can already feel his muscles tensing in anticipation - he'll have to he'll have to rely on his senses to catch this one.

Another hiss and Sasuke's curiosity peaks. He walks forward silently, hands coming out of his pockets to reach for a kunai if need be. Cautiously peeling apart the bundle of leaves hanging over in front of him, Sasuke peers in.

A genin team hangs, wrapped in some sort of silk or web cacoon, obscuring all aspects of their body apart from their faces, red from all the blood. A large monster lies contently beneath them, six bulging purple eyes imbedded in its face. Its body resembles some sort of potato but silky white, reminding Sasuke disturbingly of Sakura's slug summons. But this monster has a thin, slippery silver tongue and it hisses like a snake.

Sasuke shudders. This abomination – a mixture of snake and slug? Whatever it was it was hideous and he already knows that he hates it and that it will die.

Stepping forward through the leaves, one genin manages to open his mouth in warning but in a flash Sasuke throws his kunai, the weapon imbedding itself one of the monster's eyes.

Immediately the thing wretches, slug-like body rising, peeling off the ground with dripping slime. It lunges forward but Sasuke is too disgusted to let the battle continue any longer.

"Katon," Sasuke mutters, and the signature Uchiha fireball flows through his mouth.

The slug rears and burns, its body beginning to roast. A vile stench begins to emit and Sasuke turns to leave the area. But a genin manages a weak sound of protest, the one hung in the middle, small blue eyes pleading.

Sasuke pauses, hands flittering over his kunai. The three hung genin hang before him, still surprisingly conscious despite their orientation.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke grabs his kunai and throws it, curving the projectile so it slices the top of the cocoon of all three, dropping them down.

The three need a few seconds to reorientate themselves and Sasuke takes the opportunity to get out. He doesn't want to hear whatever pathetic words of thanks they come with. Plus, that was all just target practice anyway.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke reaches out with his chakra again, trying to pinpoint Orochimaru. However the snake is still annoying elusive – a strange fact, considering Sasuke had thought he'd find him and demand answers about how he knew all he did and all.

Perhaps he'll have to settle for second best.

Sasuke reaches out again, looking for the chakra signature of Kabuto. He seems to be nowhere near here, instead already at the centre – next to one of the only other signatures he knows enough to recognise.

_Sakura._

For a second fear clamps his heart but he slams it down quickly, instead focusing on suppressing his chakra and slowly slinking to where they're talking – right above the centre of the Forest.

He doesn't sense too many teams around him – after all it's only the first night, and most are still scouring around for their second scroll, but despite that he still notes that already a few teams have finished – the Sand Siblings, of course, their own team, and even Team 8 is advancing in – had that happened last time? He can't quite remember. Did Naruto help them? It seemed like something he would do – sneakily helping the girl he has a crush on.

Sasuke pauses just outside the ring of trees surrounding the centre. He can see the two figures on top of the roof, features obscured by the darkness but silhouettes illuminated by the moonlight. From what he can discern from their postures they don't seem to be antagonistic – the taller one, Kabuto, is slouched back, and Sakura seems similarly have her hands stuffed in her pockets.

Sasuke frowns. He's not sure how to take that. And of course, again the question – why his teammates? Why is Kabuto talking to them and not him?

He hears the crunching of leaves – Team 8 has reached the centre. On top of the building, Kabuto turns around and faces where he's hidden. A fraction later Sakura turns. The subtle shift in their positions keys Sasuke in – they've sensed him.

"Sasuke," he hears Kabuto enunciate.

Sasuke sighs, giving up masking his chakra. It would've never worked long against two proficient medic nin anyway. He jumps up towards where Kabuto is standing – uncomfortably close to Sakura.

"Kabuto," he nods, and then a pause before – "Sakura."

His teammate turns towards him and he notes with surprise that this time her eyes are steely – determined. Sakura has got the look of someone on a mission.

"Sasuke," Sakura says in that tone of voice that he hates – the one which sounds completely emotional but he knows is completely emotionless. "Kabuto here has found out my secret."

It's the subtle clues that they pick up from so many years together, from being so in tune with each other. Sakura says _'my _secret' – something's going on which he doesn't understand.

"Sasuke," she repeats, and her green eyes stare up at him, seemingly blasé but he can feel her nudging him to follow along.

"How?" he settles on saying. It seems a respectable response for someone who supposedly knows 'the secret'.

Sakura bites her lip and turns to Kabuto. Kabuto grins cockily.

"It wasn't hard to recognise her as an Akatsuki spy – I was one myself," he says with a shrug. "I met your brother."

Sasuke can't stop a wince from escaping. Kabuto just fired two shots – one, that apparently they thought _Sakura _was an Akatsuki spy, and two…

"My brother," he repeats flatly.

Even now Kabuto has the uncanny ability of smiling like he's your best friend while still sending shivers up your spine.

"Yeah," he shrugs, the moonlight glinting off his glasses. "Look, I've got to head off now."

Sasuke resists the urge to slap the snake. He drops those bombs and just, what - disappears?! Despite their differences, Sasuke and Sakura share a look – Kabuto is a right son of a bitch.

Kabuto gives him a mock salute before disappearing, leaving Sasuke and Sakura on top of the building by themselves. At the same time, Team 8 emerges outside, Kiba loudly whooping in happiness.

"-Hana won't _believe _we cleared out so quick man! You guys should all come over and we can have a _feast-"_

Sasuke turns back to Sakura and opens his mouth but Sakura quickly jumps off the roof.

"Hinata-chan!" she calls, and immediately her and the Hyuuga hug.

Sasuke frowns, staring down at the excited genin below him. Kiba looks the happiest he's seen – which is saying something – and Hinata this time around is a lot more brazen, voluntarily engaging in excited conversation with Sakura. Even Shino is lounging, relaxed, a small smile just peeking over his jacket.

Everyone is… happy.

Is he?

He will be though. Once all this mess is cleared up.

Cleared up – what does that even mean?

Below him, Team 8 decide to go out and have udon with Kurenai and Sakura. They're happy, he thinks. They like the way things are.

Sasuke sighs. His brain is in muddles but he knows one thing for sure:

If he helps Orochimaru in the invasion, they'll win. Despite Naruto and Sakura's efforts, he knows they'll win.

And then on top of that, there's that other issue which he's been quite successful in avoiding.

_Itachi. _

* * *

**Naruto**

Ripples.

Naruto's eye fell down to the ripples in the water just below him, across from which Jiraiya was reading a scroll under the light of a lantern.

Ripples in… time. Their coming back – all the things they'd changed – he knows that there're bound to be ripple effects.

But this – this was not something he had anticipated. After all, Jiraiya had been so disconnected with them up to this point…

Or had he? After all, for all he knew, the Toad Sannin was in constant contact with the Hokage. But were these _suspicions _of his? Or- or what? _What was going on?_

Naruto lets out a deep breath, but that alone is enough to alert Jiraiya to his presence. The sannin looks up from his scroll, head turning towards where Naruto sits, half-obscured by the leaves of the tree.

His godfather had seen him. No point in hiding now. Naruto drops out of the tree, landing silently on the ground. Jiraiya keeps his eye trained on him, uncharacteristically serious. And strangely, the overwhelming longing for his godfather has suddenly been smothered, overwhelmed by his new, clear focus on the scroll in Jiraiya's hands.

Slowly, but strangely free of nerves, Naruto steps onto the water, chakra reinforcing his feet as he slowly makes his way across the lake, towards the other side where Jiraiya waits patiently.

A few steps away from him, Naruto stills.

"Hi," he says quietly.

Jiraiya inclines his head. "Hello." He breaks his gaze with Naruto, looking down to roll up the scroll he'd been reading. Naruto's eyes fall down onto the kanji inscribed on the handles – the kanji which had first grabbed his attention.

"You're reading about time travel," he notes evenly.

Jiraiya looks up at him carefully. "You saw that from up there?"

"I have keen eyesight," Naruto replies carefully. He can feel the longing to hug the sannin just waiting under his skin, but it's been overpowered by a strange stillness – a calmness to figure out what exactly is happening.

"From the fox?" Jiraiya asks, just as carefully.

Naruto pauses. All his senses have been more in tune with his surroundings since he'd trained with nature chakra but he's not sure how to answer that so instead, he just shrugs.

"Why are you reading about it?" he asks instead, "Why are you interested?"

Jiraiya eyes him carefully. Despite the fact that he's sitting down, cross legged, and Naruto is standing over him, looking down, he doesn't look intimidated. Instead, he simply interlaces his fingers and leans forward, resting his head on them.

"Do you know what my occupation is, Naruto?"

Naruto shows no surprise at the sannin knowing his name and the sannin doesn't seem to care either. Naruto too decides to hell with it – he's his godfather, the man he's been missing for the past twenty years, and he suspects Jiraiya's somewhat close anyway.

"Konoha's spymaster."

Jiraiya's lips curl into a small smile – not one of his usual lecherous or boisterous ones, but a small, restrained, knowing smile.

"Yes. And you believed that these anomalies would escape my notice? I have eyes and ears everywhere." He leans forward, eyes glinting. "In fact, I am quite offended that Minato's son would underestimate me. I was your father's sensei, you know? Well, I'm sure you did know already. Didn't you, Naruto?"

Naruto chooses to stay silent. Jiraiya is in power here – and despite his skills he knows that if he and the sannin were to come to blows, it would not be a clear cut fight.

"After all," Jiraiya continues, "It's a rare moment when something manages to pull Hatake Kakashi out of his shell of self-pity."

"Kakashi-sensei told you," Naruto observes carefully, fingers curling involuntarily. There's a sharp sting of betrayal in his chest, despite the fact that he trusts both men intrinsically.

"No," Jiraiya shakes his head, and Naruto feels himself unwittingly relax in relief. "It was just one of my first clues. From then on, piecing it all together – you at Bokudo's shop, the people in Wave, your father's techniques… You didn't practice them. You _knew _them. You _improved _them. Not to mention – the toads know you've been practicing _sage _mode Naruto – _sage. _And your fellow citizens too. You feel as if you're impervious, now that you have a team, but you are the jinchuuriki and you will never escape prying eyes. We have always been watching you."

Naruto feels himself unwittingly bristle. "You were watching me then, when I was young, and being thrown around by ninja, by civilians, and you didn't think to do anything?"

For a millisecond, guilt flashes over Jiraiya's face but he masks it immediately. "It was not me who was watching you."

"But you knew," Naruto says flatly. "You knew and you didn't do anything."

"But you did, didn't you?" Jiraiya says instead, diverting the topic. Naruto tenses but doesn't protest. Both are serious issues that need addressing, but they only have the time to address one here, him on a lake and Jiraiya sitting just at the bank. Jiraiya was good, Naruto would give him that, but he had missed one gigantic piece of the puzzle – his teammates.

"You time-travelled back," Jiraiya surmises. His voice is confident but Naruto knows his old sensei too well – there's a small crinkle of his eye which he only does when he's bluffing. Jiraiya is pretty sure he's right but there's just one big flaw in his theory.

"How?" Naruto asks.

Jiraiya falters at this. For a second, Naruto feels strangely victorious, but Jiraiya was horrendously right in one thing – he underestimated him.

"I don't know," Jiraiya says measuredly, "But won't you tell me?"

Naruto grits his teeth. The exact same had happened with Kakashi – both were extremely competent ninja, especially adept at reading people. And both had picked up on a fact that no matter how hard he tried to hide it, Naruto desperately needed them. And as ninja, with no attachment to _him, _they had no qualms of exploiting it.

And goddammit he can feel himself about to give in.

"I'll give you a clue," Naruto finally says. He can feel his past ties calling him but he's too damn stubborn to let it completely sway him. He has to stay strong, even if Sasuke and Sakura aren't here.

He calls for Kurama's chakra and for once the fox is uncharacteristically silent, letting Naruto borrow it and cloak it around him. Pointedly, the chakra forms orange tails behind him, illuminating the dull surface of the lake.

"The nine-tailed fox," Jiraiya breathes, looking at him with a mixture of horror and fascination.

Naruto grits his teeth – he can't look at his old mentor like this anymore.

"Goodbye," he says curtly before pushing off the water, hurtling back in the direction he'd come from.

However just before he clears the lake, Jiraiya suddenly appears in front of him. Naruto skids to a halt immediately, and now that the sannin isn't sitting down, his height is much more impressive.

"Wait," Jiraiya says quickly, noticing how Naruto's hand was itching towards his kunai pouch. "I don't want a fight. I know you want to get going but just – come find me, okay? When you're ready? Come find me."

Naruto furrows his eyebrows, lingering unsure at the edge of the lake, unsure of whether to dart to the side and run away – he's had enough practice avoiding people to probably do it successfully.

"Look," Jiraiya tries again, "It's not a blood promise or anything just- I'll see you again? Soon?"

Naruto looks up at him.

"Okay," he says meekly before darting away quickly. He runs as fast as he can back to his apartment, not that it would've made a difference anyway – Jiraiya knows where he lives and would have no trouble chasing him down another time. Although it was a wasted opportunity – he should've taken the time to slap a seal onto him. But then again, Jiraiya would have recognised the seal and probably knew how to remove it.

Huh. It seems like they're actually at an impasse.

Naruto slides to a halt outside his apartment. It's late enough that there are no civilians wondering about so he slips in quickly without fuss and collapses onto his bed. As soon as his head hits the mattress he's pulled in again and the sight of his ceiling fades away, replaced by cold stone.

"Hey," Naruto nods.

Kurama snorts.

"Well aren't you pleasant," Naruto notes wryly. "Why'd you even pull me in here anyway?"

Kurama lifts his head off his paws. **You should be glad I waited 'till you were on your bed instead of leaving you to collapse in the middle of the street.**

"Thank you kind sir," Naruto curls sarcastically.

For once, Kurama actually chuckles. **Someone's in a bad mood. **

"Someone's in a good mood," Naruto mutters right back.

Kurama cocks his head, leaning forward curiously. **Are you actually pouting? **

"Shut up," Naruto hisses. "I'm leaving."

**No wait, wait, **Kurama says, finally reaching up to his full height. **I pulled you here for a reason. **

Naruto's almost tempted to snap – 'then get to it' – but thinks better of it. Kurama seems in a good mood but there's a limit to how much he can push their new relationship.

**I assume you realise that we have a small problem on our hands. One primarily named Orochimaru. And Sasuke.**

Naruto focuses immediately. "Why do you care?" He doesn't mean it in a snide way – only curious. After all, this is the first time Kurama has taken an active interest in the course of events.

**Because, **the fox says, and moves in what was probably the fox version of a shrug, **let's admit it the Uchiha brat is currently more powerful than you. **

Naruto bristles but Kurama continues on before he can respond.

**And if he cooperates with the snake, from what you've told me, they will win. And the snake seems to have a vested interest in not only that bloody sharingan, but **_**you **_**as well. Or, more particularly, **_**me. **_**And if the snake gets his sharingan and gets you too, let's just say it's not a pleasant picture for me. However**, **I do believe that what levelled you to his level was… me.**

Kurama trails off, staring down at him critically. Naruto would have scoffed – trust Kurama to be so self-centred – except that he has a weird feeling of being judged, as if he's being tested on whether or not he's worthy.

"You," Naruto repeats cautiously.

Kurama nods, poking his snout through the bars of the cell. **According to you, I was a willing helper and my chakra, combined with the sage chakra, was quite the combination. **

"It was," Naruto agrees, inclining his head in acknowledgement.

**So I'm proposing you a deal, **Kurama says simply. **Free me, and I'll help you..**

* * *

**AN: **So unfortunately I glossed over Sasuke's part a bit, but as you can see big issues were explored this chap and Sasuke's wouldn't have gotten the focus it needed if I tried to cram it in with Naruto's and Sakura's.

Real big thanks to those who left reviews - your comments gave me a metaphorical kick in the ass to get going and push this chap out: **Mistress Memoir, proudy9, Suzululu4moe, BlackCoat13, Sal-91, The Living Oxymoron, Guest, Darkjaden, Pain's Rebel Angel, NarutoXHonoka, pucflek, HaywireEagle, Catcrazzed, Enigma infinite, Illuminated, Nyght elf, Lamelinam, greymouser, rawr, The Last Deathly Guardian, Furudere, Rissa-channn, Guest, sagar hussain, cr8zyboy,Elguardiuz, queen-sheep, Q-asta, 0 Jordinio 0, Stoneboss, Blindyguy95, FreelanceBum, BurningSaiyan, Notahotgirl, xThomas2, long live marshmallows, Loner Kid, Ennael **and **Merry. **And for those who hate my story, just don't read. There's no need to hate. To everyone else, thanks for the positivity! You're all amazing xx

Hopefully, next chap won't take long but oh man exams I will try nonetheless and I know your comments will inspire me x


	21. Preliminaries - I

**AN:** New chapter up! Hope you enjoy xx

* * *

**_Preliminaries - I_**

* * *

**Naruto**

It's been a long time since he's felt this.

There's a raw power at the tip of his fingertips – the sort of power that scorches. In the same way killing intent can paralyse, the power at his fingertips is familiar – familiar, but deadly. And dangerous. Not only to his enemies, but to his home. Because the fox inside him is volatile, and he doesn't know if the time comes when the fox chooses to claw himself out of his body, he'll be able to stop it.

After all, their previous power, their previous partnership, had been one forged through gruelling tribulations and shared suffering. It was their unity in the world's disunity that cemented their infallible friendship.

But now he's completely skipped that step, instead, jumping into a relationship based on mutual benefit – one that could easily change in a heartbeat. And all so that he can have the same power on call as Sasuke.

Kami, he's sounding old again. All that poetic speech – sounds like some drivel Sakura would think of. She's the master of spin after all, something she'd perfected in her later years as Root Commander.

Naruto lets out a slow breath and uncurls his fists. He must look like an idiot, standing outside the door.

But it's strange – disorientating, almost. He has the most destructive power, swirling orange just beneath his skin, but he's about to walk into a room full of _children. _Because, really, that's what they _are. Children. _And he could slaughter them all in a heartbeat. They wouldn't even feel it. He could level the place. Orochimaru would like that. Sasuke too. And Sakura? Who knew.

"Shit," Naruto breathes suddenly.

Why is he thinking like that? Why did he suddenly think that? Why is he so… _murderous? _So _apathetic? _Is Kurama seeping into his head again? Is the fox trying to feed him poisonous thoughts?

Or even worse – is he thinking this _himself?_

In front of him the door swings open.

Naruto's mouth opens, then closes.

"Hello," Hinata says politely. She's not blushing, or going red at all. The Hyuunga is calm. Poised. She is still the Hinata he knew, but in another way, she is _not. _

He feels like he's going to be sick but the power, the orange chakra, pulls him back like quicksand.

"Hello," he nods back.

"You've been standing here for a while." Hinata quirks a small smile. "Do you want to come in? Your teammates are waiting for you."

"Oh," Naruto says blankly. "Ok."

Hinata chuckles quietly and steps back from the door, allowing him to pass through. Naruto bites the inside of his cheek – what's so funny? What's so _naively funny about Konoha on the brink of destruction?_

He doesn't look at Sakura or Sasuke. Doesn't even bother noting where they are in the room. He only sees Kakashi-sensei standing up at the balcony, lounging in a façade of relaxation. But he can sense his sensei's confusion, his frantic analysis of his team's – his ticking time bomb of a team's strange interactions.

Kakashi-sensei is scared. He's scared they're going to snap, and do something reckless.

Maybe he's right.

Naruto doesn't know.

The Hokage steps up. Automatically, all the genin stand in respect, even Naruto. His skin is still tingling from the new power – such a sudden onslaught of extra chakra on his pathways has his goose bumps on high, hair rising as if he's about to fight.

Sarutobi explains the structure and rules of the prelim. Around him the other genin, all congregated with their teammates, are mumbling some comment or another. But Naruto is strangely calm. His young body isn't used to such a drastic change in such a short time but while his body is going haywire, his mind is starkly clear.

He thinks of the preliminaries. He thinks – it would be good if Gaara were to go against one of Team 7 – that way they could avoid deaths. He thinks – it would be good if Hinata weren't put against Neji this time. He thinks – now that Sakura and Ino aren't staunch rivals, what will their matchup be?

But he doesn't think of Sasuke.

Around him the genin turn to look up at the screen. Naruto snaps out of his daze and follows their gaze upwards.

Shino against Kin. Had that happened before? He can't actually remember. But Naruto follows the other genin up to the watching area anyway. Sakura claims a seat next to Team 8, and though he tries not to search for Sasuke, his eyes end up finding his teammate anyway, predictably falling back on his old friends, Shikamaru and Chouji. Letting out a slow breath, Naruto decides to head to the other remaining Konoha team – minus Kabuto's, of course – Team Gai.

"Hey," he says noncommittedly. Tenten turns to him in surprise, a look of suspicion on her face, but Naruto ignores her and simply leans over the railing, observing the match. He and their team didn't get off to a good start, but it wouldn't be good to be too antagonistic to them, especially considering his friends were already all snatched up by his other teammates.

Lee seems to open his mouth to ask a question but Tenten elbows him the same time the match below starts and Lee shuts his mouth.

Whatever.

Naruto blankly watches the match below for a few moments before his eyes drift over to Kabuto. The genin hadn't withdrawn this time around, probably because of the changes they made to the timeline, and had instead gotten his teammate Misumi to withdraw. Kabuto's eyes meet his before he smirks, light suddenly glinting off his glasses and hitting Naruto in the face.

For a second, the breath catches in his throat. Then Naruto retches back.

What had happened? What had he been thinking before? Brushing over Sasuke and Sakura like that? He had been so _empty _inside and he – he isn't Naruto anymore! Where had his passion gone? He had been so _passionate _before he died but now he was just uncaringly watching Shino and Kin _slaughter _each other and he hadn't cared – god had Jiraiya and Kurama shaken him up so much? What was happening? _Who was he anymore?_

He's acting like Kabuto this is _sick. _

Kabuto smirks even harder, and below Shino is declared the winner but neither genin pay attention.

"Hey Naruto!"

Naruto's head whips around.

"Sakura," he breathes, and Sakura stares pointedly at Kabuto before her gaze returns to him. "Oh," he says, "Uh, hi."

"You excited for the next round?" she smiles at him softly, and even though it's her standard medic nin smile that she gives to all her patients, even the really annoying ones, Naruto will take what he can get.

"Yeah," he says, even though he hasn't even looked at the next matchup yet. But it doesn't matter – it's a show of solidarity in front of the snake.

"I hope Hinata wins," Sakura admits. Immediately Naruto's head whips around to the screen.

_Hyuuga Hinata vs. Uchiha Sasuke_

Fuck.

_No._

"Sakura," Naruto breathes, and this time there's no faux politeness.

"I know," Sakura replies hollowly.

"We have to do something," Naruto says, but even he doesn't know what to do. He looks over Sakura's shoulder – Kiba is giving Hinata words of encouragements while she tries to pull away to make her way downstairs.

"I'll talk to him. You can talk to her. Or- or I can talk to her and you can talk to him. I- I don't really know."

Naruto looks back at Sakura and she _does _look confused. She looks young. And scared.

"Let's talk to him," Naruto says quietly.

"But I don't want him to think we're ganging up against him – choosing her over him." It's an uncharacteristic show of emotion from Sakura – especially since she'd started to associate emotions with weakness.

"We can't give up," Naruto says slowly, and immediately after he says it he realises – these are the words he needed to hear. He _can't _give up.

So before Sasuke can slouch into the shadows and slip downstairs, Naruto calls him over.

"Oi Sasuke-teme!"

Sasuke's back stiffens before he rigidly turns around, a strange look on his face. Naruto motions him over and Sasuke pauses before cautiously walking towards him. Sakura, to her merit, has managed to school her features and shows no surprise at his actions.

"What?" he snaps, but Naruto doesn't hold it against him. They're all on edge.

"Just…" he pauses. He can feel Sakura waiting with baited breath next to him and even Kurama is probably on his hackles right now.

"Give her hell," he finally says, and Sasuke's perfectly controlled expression drops in a second, replaced by pure surprise. "Do your best alright teme."

And Naruto tries his best to send him his signature smile, and even though he's sure it's not as infectious or rambunctious as it usually is, he thinks he's somewhat successful. But once Sasuke's done looking surprised, his gaze slides over to Sakura and he almost curls in on himself as if waiting for a scolding.

And Naruto waits in tandem too – because even he's never been able to quite perfectly pinpoint what the third component of his team is thinking.

"You're our teammate," Sakura finally says, perfectly schooled features melting into her natural half-cautious, half-tired smile. "So don't embarrass us, alright? We want all of Team 7 in the finals shannaro!"

Sasuke gapes, but then Hayate begins shouting from downstairs for him to hurry up because Hinata is already waiting and Naruto laughs and pushes Sasuke off the balcony and Sasuke lets him and Kabuto's scowling and maybe- maybe things aren't so bad.

He locks eyes with Sakura and she gives him a lopsided smile.

* * *

**Sakura**

Perhaps it's his own way of saying thank you.

Because the match goes on for seven minutes – a good, proper, fight. He holds back, but he pushes her too. She fights, with more ardour that Sakura's ever seen before, and Sasuke even lets her get a few good hits with her jyuuken before he finally ends the fight, hitting her in the head and knocking her out.

Turns out Sasuke knows Hinata better than Sakura'd suspected. He jumps back up onto the balcony and mutters to her – "I knew she wouldn't stop fighting until things got bad. So I had to make the decision for her."

And in return, Sakura inclines her head in silent thanks. A few other matches go on after, and she and Naruto and Sasuke are exchanging looks like school kids with crushes on each other. Soon there're only a few left – Kankurou, Zaku, Kabuto, Gaara, Shikamaru, Tenten, and of course her and Naruto.

The next match up is Kabuto against Gaara, which will be interesting. Both are on the side of the invasion, but she's not sure if Gaara is aware of Kabuto's involvement. And of course, the blaring problem:

Gaara will obliterate Kabuto, and may in the process force Kabuto to reveal his hand to do the same to the jinchuuriki.

Kabuto, seemingly reaching the same conclusion, withdraws. Kiba argues vehemently against this for a few moments, and Hayate similarly looks down at the genin but Kabuto simply shrugs and says-

"Maybe I'm better suited for staying genin after all. I've got no guts." He smirks at Sasuke as he says this and Sakura can feel the rage bubbling slowly in her stomach.

And Gaara gets a free pass into the finals.

Sakura surveys the remaining genin who have yet to be called on – Naruto, Kankurou, Tenten, Zaku and Shikamaru. She remembers their fights clearly in her head – the prelims first time around had been a chilling experience for her, especially considering the recent developments with Sasuke's cursed seal.

Hayate gestures up to the screen. "Next match is…"

The remaining names flitter across the screen. In the brief millisecond before the results appear, Sakura wonders what would happen if she and Naruto were pitted against each other.

But it never comes to fruition.

"Haruno Sakura v Nara Shikamaru," Hayate finishes. "Could the contestants please make their way down to the arena."

This will be interesting, Sakura muses. Chouji claps Shikamaru on the back but the genin simply smiles, giving Sakura a lopsided smile. Sakura smiles back – this may actually be an interesting fight. She knows that she'll win, based on the fact that she could overpower him purely physically due to her element of surprise. But he'd be a real intellectual challenge. After all, he would be the greatest thinker in all the shinobi countries by the time she died.

By the time she died. She's becoming desensitised to that now, she finds. She died, sure, but she's… it's just become another fact.

"Good luck," Naruto murmurs to her. She inclines her head in thanks. She hadn't expected Naruto to encourage her – especially when there's obviously so much going through his head right now – but it's a nice gesture nonetheless.

On the other hand, Sasuke nudges Shikamaru and mutters something in his ear. The genin sighs before standing up and making his way towards the stair case.

"Hey," Sakura nods as she meets him there, the two Konoha ninja making their way together down in unity.

"Hey," Shikamaru shrugs back. "Think you're gonna win?"

Sakura shrugs. An innocent question, sure, but Shikamaru's always been able to extrapolate information – either about the physical or mental state of his opponent – from such questions. And while Sakura doesn't really need to evade them, it's a fun game she hasn't played in a while.

Instead, she asks him – "What'd my wayward teammate say to you?"

"Wayward," Shikamaru sighs. "That's a way of putting it. He told me to prepare myself for defeat."

Shikamaru's eyes slide over to her.

"He thinks you'll beat me."

"Do you think I'll beat you?"

Shikamaru grins at her question. "We'll see won't we?"

He pushes open the door into the arena. Hayate gestures them to come towards the middle to face each other for the beginning of the battle.

"You ready?" Hayate intones.

"Yeah," Sakura smirks.

Shikamaru simply sighs but nods.

"Begin," Hayate announces before stepping back, allowing them space.

Sakura knows she has the huge advantage here – she knows his technique but he knows nothing of hers. But at the same time, Shikamaru had been an extremely valuable chuunin so it'd be a shame to lose him in the promotion if she wins. When she wins.

Wait.

Sakura's eyes snap up to where Kabuto is lounging. She can't give away her techniques, not with an Orochimaru spy present and an impending invasion – they need all the tricks they can keep.

"Kagemane no Jutsu," Shikamaru says, and Sakura quickly jumps out of the way of his impending shadow. Shikamaru is obviously strategizing while buying himself time and Sakura tries to do the same.

Orochimaru already knows about Inner and therefore her proficiency with breaking genjutsu. But he doesn't know about the seal on her forehead, her medical ninjutsu or her strength. Which means she has to win this battle without utilising any of those techniques, _or _using purely genjutsu.

And Shikamaru's sensei is Asuma-sensei and she's _pretty _sure he hasn't started dating Kurenai yet, not to mention the lack of genjutsu proficient kids in their generation meaning that, pretty much, Shikamaru would have _very little _experience with genjutsu. Of course, that's not counting Sasuke's sharingan. Speaking of…

Orochimaru was right in the sense that she was extremely proficient at dispelling genjutsu. Casting it on the other hand, she'd never spent much time trying. What she _had _done, had been a few sessions with Kurenai.

She looks up at the sensei. Would it be weird for her to spring Kurenai's technique…?

Sakura ducks as a kunai whirls over her head. Shikamaru was always a faster planner.

He launches forward, weapons in hand, and Sakura scoots back again, aware of his darting shadow. She's not very fast, nor does she have the best stamina, so she should hurry and end this quickly.

"Sorry," she says to Shikamaru, "This will be a quick match."

Because Shikamaru is smart, she knows he'll have discounted the possibility that she knew genjutsu, especially with a sensei like Kakashi known for his ninjutsu rather than one like Kurenai. Not to mention she'd never showed any interest in it as a kid.

"Demon Illusion: Tree Binding Death."

Shikamaru tries to twist out of the way but a genjutsu isn't like a ninjutsu – you can't dodge it like you dodge a physical technique. A tree grows out of the ground and curls around him, stopping him from moving and Sakura vanishes from sight.

"What?" Shikamaru mutters in surprise, trying to pull himself free from his body's automatic immobility. There really is no tree, but he can't break free without recognising it as a genjutsu, and even then, he probably wouldn't be able to without prior practice.

Sakura emerges from the trunk of the tree above him. Admittedly, it looks a bit macabre but it's the only way the technique works – as it allows the victim to stay conscious during the genjutsu it was a technique used for interrogation.

Shikamaru looks up at her head protruding from the tree above him and his eyes almost bug out.

"Genjutsu!" he whispers.

"Yep," Sakura nods. He was fast, but as she'd expected, he can't break free.

She pulls a kunai out of her pouch and holds it against his neck. "Sorry Shikamaru. Surrender?"

Shikamaru sighs in defeat. Tactically, he knows he's defeated and unlike Naruto, isn't brazen enough to try nonetheless. Even though the tree is an illusion, the kunai against his neck definitely isn't.

"I forfeit," he sighs. Sakura releases the genjutsu and Shikamaru staggers away, unhurt at least.

"Winner, Haruno Sakura," Hayate declares.

Sakura manages a small smile but before she can make her way up stairs, Kurenai drops down.

"Sakura, right?" the jounin asks with a smile. But it's one of those smiles Sakura is all too familiar with – perfect motions but completely devoid of emotion. "I'm-"

"Kurenai," Kakashi interjects, and Sakura's never been more grateful in her life. Well, maybe she has. But physically she's a teenage girl so she's allowed some leeway.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura breathes, smiling brightly up at her sensei. He smiles back, but then his hand falls on her shoulder and tightens and Sakura knows that she has to be the adult in this situation – she needs to reassure Kakashi that Naruto and Sasuke aren't going to blow up and attack each other and burn up the building.

Because they won't.

Right.

"Kakashi," Kurenai nods, lips pursing in displeasure.

"Thank you for coming to congratulate my student on my win, but I assure you it isn't necessary. Remember your manners, Sakura."

Sakura blinks at Kakashi before quickly recovering.

"Thank you," she says quickly. Kurenai opens her mouth but then Asuma appears behind her, having returned from checking in with Shikamaru.

"Let's go," he murmurs, and Kurenai relents, tossing Kakashi a suspicious look.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei," Sakura whispers, but Kakashi just shoots her a pointed look.

"This isn't over Sakura," he murmurs, "I trust you'll keep them in line?"

His gaze floats up to the top of the stairs where Naruto and Sasuke are standing.

"I will," Sakura answers confidently, much more confident than she actually feels inside.

"Hey," Hayate calls, "Clear out already, the next match is starting."

Kakashi sighs and jumps away, back to where all the other teachers are waiting. Sakura glances quickly up at the match board before leaping up too. The next match is Kankurou against Tenten, which means the last will be between Naruto and Zaku.

By the time Sakura gets up there, Hinata is the first person by her side.

"Good work Sakura-chan!" her best friend smiles, "I'm glad you got through."

"Thanks," Sakura grins. "You did good too. It's not your fault Sasuke's an asshole."

"He's not!" Hinata says quickly, and Sakura's eyes widen in surprise. She'd just been joking, but is the Hyuuga actually looking passed her clan-ingrained hate?

"I-I mean," Hinata stammers, noticing Sakura's surprise, "He was a lot better than I thought he'd be. He was… kinda nice."

Sakura simply blinks in response, her eyes drifting over to Sasuke's figure. He seems completely nonchalant but the tops of his ears have turned red - he must've been listening in on their conversation. Next to him, Ino turns around and death glares her. For a second, Sakura is confused, but then she remembers that she'd just beaten Shikamaru.

"Ino-san looks angry," Hinata says quickly, changing the topic.

"Yeah," Sakura muses. Maybe her and the blonde can actually strike up a connection after this – that is, if she manages to remove herself from Ino's bitch list.

But now that both of her teammates are accounted for, Sakura turns to look for Naruto. She'd seen him just a few moments ago, from the bottom, but now the blonde seems to have vanished.

"Hey Hinata," Sakura asks, eyes quickly darting around. "You see where Naruto went?"

Hinata looks around. "No, sorry. I can check with my byakugan if you want?"

Sakura's gaze drops back to the Hyuuga and categorises her injuries. "No, that's okay. You've just recovered from your fight. I'll see you in a bit, okay? I'm gonna look for him."

Hinata nods and Sakura turns away, beginning to search for Naruto's chakra signature. Luckily all of the snake's minions are still present – Kabuto included – which means that Naruto isn't locked in some fight.

But it's strange of him to disappear like this, especially considering his match is next.

* * *

**Sasuke**

Okay seriously like what the fuck.

Both his teammates are missing, _right before Naruto's match _no less, and he has no bloody idea what they're up to. And it is completely out of character for Naruto to just go MIA right before his match. As for Sakura chasing after him? Well, that seems to happen a lot.

But still, this isn't normal.

"Oi, you alright?" Shikamaru asks.

"Yeah," Chouji nods. "He's right. You're being kinda weird."

"Does it have anything to do with the fact that your two teammates are missing?" Shikamaru adds.

Sasuke grunts. "Shut up."

"You know Sakura was talking with Hinata just a bit before – maybe you should ask her?"

Sasuke frowns even harder. That would be awkward. Plus, he'd eavesdropped on their conversation anyway and the Hyuuga doesn't know anything he doesn't.

How frustrating. How could they just up and leave like that? Not to mention Kabuto keeps on smirking at him even though he knows the snake has nothing to do with their disappearance. All of Orochimaru's minions are all accounted for.

Sighing, Sasuke peeks over the rail at the fight below. Tenten has just executed one of her fatal moves, with all the weapons landing onto Kankurou. He falls, but Sasuke knows it's just the puppet – Kankurou will reveal himself dramatically yadda yadda ya.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke glances back at the door where Sakura and Naruto have disappeared to. Fuck this, he'll just go after them. He stands up from his seat, ignoring Chouji's questioning look, and makes his way through the crowd of spectating genin.

"Winner, Kankurou," Hayate declares from below, unsurprisingly. Tenten had used all her weapons in that attack, allowing Kankurou to take advantage of her defencelessness.

Sasuke opens the door to be greeted right in the face with Sakura.

"Sakura-" he begins, but she grabs him by the arm and pulls him through, slamming the door behind him right as the screens settle on the last match.

"What the hell?" he hisses, but then he takes in Sakura's frantic expression and pauses. "Where's Naruto?"

Sakura bites her lip and doesn't respond.

"Sakura," he grunts.

She lets out a shaky breath. "Listen. I'm going to need you to trust me."

Her words immediately put him on guard. "Where the fuck is Naruto."

"Going to his match!" Sakura almost shouts. "No, look, just- I need you to turn on your mangekyou."

Sasuke stills.

_What?_

"What's going on?" he asks quietly.

Sakura glances desperately at the door behind him before her eyes snap back to his.

"Naruto made a deal with Kurama – an unfair, _dangerous, _deal. All to get on the same fucking level as _you. _And it's playing up on his body. Bad. And if Kurama takes advantage of that – because this is the old Kurama, the _hateful _Kurama trapped inside a person he hates living in a village he hates-" Sasuke grasps her arm with one hand and she lets out a shaky breath.

"I need your mangekyou to stop him if he does anything. If _Naruto _does something."

Sasuke takes a deep breath.

"I can't."

Sakura's eyes snap to his.

"What?" she says quietly. "No wait. I see. This will help Orochimaru, right? Further his plans along? Yay for him Konoha gets _destroyed?_"

"You know _nothing. _Orochimaru would hate for his plans to be disrupted by something like this," Sasuke hisses. "No. Wait. Look – I didn't- I meant that my body like this wouldn't be able to take something like that. Plus, do you really want me to give that little secret up to Orochimaru?"

Evidently Sakura is stressed because the normal Sakura – the Sakura he _knows – _would have never been like this.

"Ok," Sakura finally says, "This is what we'll do." Behind the door, he hears Hayate announce the beginning of the match between Naruto and Zaku.

"We'll go out there. You'll activate your mangekyou. I'll weave a genjutsu around your eyes and heal them periodically with my chakra. You can't worry about _anything _except Naruto okay?"

Sasuke opens his mouth to answer but Sakura seems to sense something in his eyes because she rips passed him and throws the door open, hand finding his and pulling him over to the rail of the balcony.

Sasuke looks up, at Sakura's pink hair and the annoyed look of the genin they'd pushed passed. And then Sakura slides to a halt at the rail overlooking the balcony and Sasuke can see that she's right – there's something different about Naruto, something _wrong. _

Suddenly, he feels Sakura's calming green chakra envelope his pathways and he looks down at Naruto, whose normal blue eyes are infected with flecks of gold.

"Go," Sakura whispers, "I've got you."

And Sasuke turns on his mangekyou.

* * *

**AN: **And that's the end of this chap :) It's a bit shorter than usual but I thought this would be a good place to end it because otherwise it would just open a whole other can of worms. Next chap will probably be a bit of a filler - end of prelims, sorting out beginning of finals, the kids finding trainers etc. so apologies for that but it's needed.

Thanks to all who reviewed - **Enigma infinite, greymouser, Sagemodeman, NarutoXHonoka, zigmas, Illuminated, Catcrazzed, pucflek, Shadow-Shinobi666, Loner Kid, lumutness, XxNamastePeoplexX, Lamelinam, Guest, Shen, Guest, ZombiePilot, YSPM, sauskaepanda, Guest, ChaosTheVoid, BOR3DBLOGG3R, Duesal Bladesinger, aayouthere, Alice, PredatorPuck, The Last Deathly Guardian, Analatelle, The One and the Five, Sir Rizzle, BlightIncarnatec** and** Bananarock509. **You all make my day!

Also still haven't read Naruto Gaiden... the epilogue of Naruto both made me super excited and super scarred so I've just kind of being avoiding it...

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed and please leave a review xx


	22. Preliminaries - II

**AN:** Yes, I made it! Another chapter! Hope you'll all enjoy x

* * *

_**Preliminaries - II**_

* * *

**Naruto**

It's the last fight of the day.

**The first really though, **Kurama notes, **the others were boring. **

Yes, Naruto agrees. Yes they had been. The only one that had been remotely interesting had been Sasuke and Hinata's – two children from the main family of Konoha's two most prestigious clans, pitted against each other. They had the potential to be an amazing pairing, but it had just been bland. Dry. The demon sand could have been interesting, Naruto supposed, but his fight had never eventuated. Pity.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Naruto thinks that there's something more to Sasuke and Hinata, something he should be remembering, feeling. It's like an itch at the back of his head, just underneath his skin in a place he can't reach anymore.

**If you can't remember, why bother?**

That's a good point, Naruto acknowledges, they're just obstacles after all.

"Uzumaki Naruto v Abumi Zaku," Hayate announces. Naruto steps away from the other genin, their wishes of good luck brushing over him noiselessly as he jumps down onto the lower level.

Abumi Zaku… he'd heard that name before, somewhere. What had been the kid's fighting style again? He can't quite remember. Is he the one that drained chakra? But the boy was a Sound genin, so maybe he's the one who did something with the air waves, like Kin.

**Does it matter? We'll just take what's coming.**

True. It's not as if he won't be able to handle anything this genin throws at him. Because despite the superiority complex all the Sound genin seem to have, they all pale in comparison to what _he _has, what he _will_ have once he crushes all these…

"Match, begin!" Hayate musters with as much enthusiasm as he can before turning away and falling into another coughing fit.

**Weak…** Kurama murmurs.

Zaku waits a few moments, surveying Naruto. Perhaps this boy isn't as stupid as the others – after all, he had the sense not to rush at him without knowing his capabilities, something the other genin seemed to demonstrably lack.

**He'll crack soon.**

Kurama's right. Zaku straightens up, trying to seem taller than Naruto. Not that it's too hard to tower over him considering how he'd always been quite short at this age, even now.

"Aren't you going to come at me?" Zaku taunts. "Or you too weak _midget?"_

**A good taunting strategy… would have been successful in the past. **

"I suppose so," Naruto murmurs in response to Kurama, thinking back to his old, impulsive days. But Zaku seems to take it as a response to his earlier comment because he chuckles and readies himself for action, bouncing on his feet as his lip curls back in a sneer.

Wait… he remembers Zaku now. He's the one that'd been injured before. Sling in one arm. From the curse-marked Uchiha Sasuke.

"Well then," Zaku grins, hackles rising in anticipation, "Guess it's my go now." He rushes forward with a kunai first, arm raised, ready to slash and incapacitate Naruto's dominant arm.

**His stance is off, **Kurama comments. Naruto eyes the approaching genin and notes how he favours his right side, leaving his left open to attack.

Unstable on his feet, Naruto agrees. And his grip on his kunai is a bit crooked – he won't get a clean hit…

He's right. The kunai only manages to nick his arm – he hadn't even dodged but the slanted kunai had mitigated any real damage.

No. That's a lie. His arm is bleeding now. The blood flows out – and out – but it's stopped now.

**I've got your back, **Kurama purrs. The wound knits itself together, painfully. There's no soothing green chakra which rolls over the wound like anaesthetic – this is just pure pulling the flesh together, meshing them until they click.

"What the _fuck?" _Zaku murmurs, staring blatantly at Naruto's healed arm. Perversely, Naruto feels a grin creeping up his face.

On the other hind Zaku steps back, slightly perturbed, but then someone – Zaku's teammate? – shouts at him to get on with it and he lunges forward with the kunai again.

"Crooked grip," Naruto whispers, and Zaku snarls, Naruto's comment being, funnily enough, the distraction which causes Zaku to swerve and actually manage to imbed the kunai into Naruto's left arm.

Zaku wrenches the kunai out victoriously and scoots back, pulling out some shuriken for a secondary attacck. Naruto looks down at his arm – already beginning to knit itself back together – before pulling his head up again to stare at the genin.

Zaku's grip slackens on his kunai as he eyes the pink flesh of Naruto's arm.

"What is wrong with you?" he whispers, backing away slowly. "What the hell?" He looks up at the balconies, and belatedly Naruto follows his gaze up. The jounin are stirring, the air is stifling.

"Hurry it up!" Someone – the girl – Kin – shouts.

Zaku bristles and turns back to Naruto, determinedly ignoring his wound. "I- I'm going to finish you," he shouts, raising his shuriken threateningly.

**Turning to the familiar for comfort – anger…** **Sounds like someone we know…**

Ignoring Kurama's comments, Naruto turns his attention back to the lunging genin.

Third time unlucky, Naruto decides, because this time as Zaku leaps towards him, weapons raised in that crooked grip and open stance, Naruto locks him in the eye.

"Stop," he whispers, then his mother's adamantine sealing chains shoot out from his palms, curling around the genin and wrenching him frozen, poised still with hand raised in motion. Inside, Kurama purrs with content.

"You- you haven't seen anything yet!" Zaku shouts as he struggles against Naruto's chains. Not giving up yet, Naruto notes – an admirable trait. Too bad it might kill him. Cocking his head to the side, Naruto raises the genin higher into the air. Will it make him squirm more?

"Let- let me go!" Zaku shouts, as if that's going to make a difference. He struggles some more and Naruto grits his teeth. How annoying. He snakes another chain down the genin's arms to his right hand, the one with the shuriken in his grasp. With a clenching of his fist the chain tightens and Zaku is forced to drop the shuriken, or else imbed his own hand in them.

"Zaku!" his teammate is still shouting. What a pest. "Get your act together! Zaku!"

Where were _his _teammates anyway… MIA? Missing in action? KIA? Killed in action? Yes… that was it, wasn't it? That had always been it.

"I'm an air user you know!" Zaku manages to say without stumbling over his words. "I'll- I'll get you!"

He spoke too soon, it seems. But at least the genin seems finally spurred to do something besides standing there with his dull weapons. He can feel the chakra of Zaku under his chain stirring, in preparation for some sort of jutsu, and vaguely Naruto feels someone calling his name. It seems to be one of the jounin… the one with the mask… Kakashi. That's right. What was that other sound he'd heard though? That buzzing in the background?

"Should we interfere-"

"What _is _tha-"

"-orange-"

Aah… People are asking questions… questions about him… about the orange that envelops the deadly grey chains. Konoha won't be happy…

**Konoha doesn't like questions…**

Zaku sends out a burst of air, highly pressurised, and surprisingly well-aimed considering his current predicament and previous kunai throwing. It's just too bad he's going against a wind user – Naruto is in his element – he's _always _in his element – and the attack is pathetically easy to dodge.

Maybe he should spice things up a little. Naruto tightens his chains experimentally and Zaku screams. Boring. He twists the chain. Something snaps. One of Zaku's arms…? He'll be in a sling again, then…

Or maybe not. The arm seems to be quite… detached. The skin is all there, intact, it just seems floppy. He twists it and Zaku screams even harder.

And then he hears – "Naruto!"

Someone is calling his name. Many people are calling his name. Kakashi… who is that though – who is that person who calls and calls and-

"Naruto!"

"Uzumaki Naruto-"

"Uzu-"

"Naruto!"

"-maki-"

Why were they so loud? Goodness… it shouldn't matter. They let all sorts of weird things happen the last time around – it's just because _he's _the one doing it this time around, him with the orange around his body. He coils the muscles in his arms and twists and turns the chain, almost grinding the body underneath.

**Yes…**

"Hokage-sama…"

"Naruto this is so _unecessar-_"

**Naruto!**

"Hinata," Naruto murmurs. _That_ was who was calling – that was the Hyuuga's name. Hinata. No. That was wrong. She wasn't Hyuuga Hinata. She was- she was Hinata but Hyuuga seemed – was she a Hyuuga? She must've been but- but she was an-

"Uzumaki-!"

"Hokage-sama should we stop him-"

The Hokage stands up from his chair. Naruto frowns. Zaku screams.

"Let me go let me _go _you're fucking _sick _why aren't you stopping him- _ow!-"_

"_Naruto-"_

"-you're crazy crazy I'm ending this _now- _extreme decapitation airwaves-"

Naruto's attention snaps back to the bug in his grasp. The boy is releasing large, large airwaves – they're going to wipe out this whole building with everything in it.

Naruto closes his eyes. He reaches with his chains and pushes them into the air tubes in the boys arms just as the technique begins causing it to implode within – implode, implode and the boy will explode-

He does. Naruto opens his eyes and there's blood, guts, and fractured snippets of bones littered all around the place.

"Oh my god-"

"Uzumaki-"

"Hokage-sama-"

"Medic-"

"Naruto!"

"Medics will be of no help."

"Hokage-sama-"

"Call the ANBU we need to secure the boy secure the area-"

"Naruto why- why-"

Naruto turns around. The earth walls someone had raised up for protection in case Naruto hadn't stopped Zaku's deadly technique crumble down. Someone – the Hyuuga but not – turns around and pukes and another boy – white hair, round glasses, rubs her back and soothes her with his silver tongue and the jounin are jumping down onto the ground and coming for him-

"_Everybody SHUT UP!_" Sakura screams.

For a second there is stillness. Then noise erupts but that's enough time because Naruto has turned towards the eruption-

Sasuke locks him dead in the eye.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata whimpers.

"I'm sorry," Sakura whispers.

"Everybody step back," Sasuke says, and Kurama is shouting in his head, incoherent words, but there's something about Uchiha Sasuke that drowns out the black words in his head-

Sakura lunges away and tackles the white haired boy leaning over Hinata.

Sasuke looks Naruto in the eye and says – "Tsukuyomi."

Naruto goes _down._

* * *

**Sasuke**

Sasuke's been inside Naruto's head a few times.

None of those times were ever too pleasant.

There'd always been something about Naruto that'd bugged him, ever since they were genin. Mostly it'd been the fact that Naruto had always been so obnoxiously loud, meaning that migraines often followed their encounters… But even _he_ had known that that wasn't it, that that had been too simplistic to be _it. _

Perhaps, Sasuke muses as he looks down on Naruto's twitching body, perhaps it'd been how the blonde was always so_ happy. _So _cheerful. _So _bloody optimistic _when Sasuke had _known – _he had always _known _that the blonde hadn't been living a good life. That the villagers had hated him and it'd been like an oppressive blanket that'd just smothered him, all the time, every day, pushing him _down_ and _down_. Of the half rotting meat for his meals, or the muddied laundry that came back in the basket, or the hate the fear that was in every gaze, the contempt, the mistrust.

Naruto had lived a hard life. They'd been two different materials in the same mould. Or maybe they'd been the same material shoved into two different moulds.

And he'd always known that there was something wrong with the boy. Because everyone had known – deep down everyone had known! – that poor little Sasuke was going to snap because look at him the poor dear his _brother _has murdered his whole fucking family and wasn't that just a _tragedy. _But little Naruto hadn't been so poor or pathetic at all because look at how _happy _he was _all the bloody time_.

And he had been. Because sometimes Sasuke truly believed that Naruto had beenhappy. And that- that had been possible because all of that negativity, all of that – that _hate_ – had been locked up in a little part of his brain in a chest that was to be never opened. It had been the part of him that he'd overcome, that he'd embraced to become a good Hokage, a great Hokage – one of the best leaders the world had ever come to see…

But then there'd been another war.

And- and- they'd never talked about this, because Sakura had been _dead _and so had _he _all _dead and dead- _it had been Naruto who'd had to pick up the pieces. _Naruto _who had sent them all back in time.

Because the terrifying thing was – _is – _that there'd been _something _in that demented mind of his, of the fox's, that facilitated something so utterly destructive it ripped apart the entire fabric of this whole universe, of _time itself_.

_But!_

But he has 72 hours now.

And he will – he _will_ fixthis.

"And how the tables have turned," Sasuke murmurs.

Below him Naruto stares up at him with wide eyes, body still prone, lying on the ground.

"Tsukuyomi…" the blonde echoes.

"Yes," Sasuke notes, and he leans down and extends a hand. Naruto looks up at his hand before grasping it and pulling himself up.

"Where have you taken us Sasuke?" Naruto asks quietly.

Sasuke stares steadily at his teammate. Naruto stare back, eye-level, with completely blue eyes.

"I don't have the chakra stores at this age to create an environment yet," Sasuke says quietly. "Which is why this is your construction – your mind, Naruto. Where your deepest… thoughts… have taken us. And it is why we appear to be as old as we were when we- when I died."

Naruto looks around, and takes in the death.

When Sasuke had let the setting slip from his fingers, he hadn't known where they would end up. He had been tempted to tell Naruto it would be the place of this deepest fear, but he knows that really, that isn't true – there are other emotions just as strong, just as prominent, and they intermingle so much that you can't ever distinguish wherever this is – only that it is a place of strong, _strong _emotion.

"Have I ended up as Kakashi?" Naruto murmurs quietly, running his finger down the memorial stone. Just behind him towers the Uchiha cenotaph. Both are the only things in the barren landscape, dark brown under the red sky. Names and names of the dead line the stone and bleed down onto the ground. Names go on, endless, kanji melting into one another.

"Where do you think this is? Is this my dominant emotion? Guilt?"

Sasuke looks down at the ground, traces some of the names. He doesn't recognise any.

"Who are they?" he asks quietly.

"People that died," Naruto says quietly. "When _I- _when _I _was Hokage. But- but- that doesn't answer your question. I- I _don't know. _I don't know who they are – I never met them. They were just names to me. Numbers of squads. I can't tell you who- who-" He bends down and traces kanji frantically. "I never knew who Hajime Kenji was! I don't know if he had a family, a pregnant wife at home, if he was optimistic, pessimistic, idealistic, or if he owned a fish shop that was his pride and _joy_-"

Naruto cries.

Sasuke doesn't know what to say, or how to even describe it. Naruto's crying starts off with just a few tears that leak from his eyes, but his teammate has never been one to be understated. Soon the crying becomes louder, and louder, and the tears increase, falling down in flat plops onto the dead ground, and Naruto heaves, chest rising and falling with his rapid breaths. He collapses onto the ground, knees shaking. He's guttural in his crying.

Sasuke lets out a small breath. His cheeks are wet.

And after what could have been minutes or hours – who knows with Tsukuyomi? – Naruto's tears subside until there's only silence again in this construction.

"What did I just do out there?" Naruto asks quietly. "_Out there –_ to all those genin?"

Sasuke watches him and chooses not to respond, instead just staring and waiting, because he _knows _that Naruto will pull through-

"How do I fix it?" Naruto asks determinedly.

And Sasuke smiles. He's never needed to fix Naruto because – because that was why Naruto was _Naruto, _why he was the Hokage and not him because he knew how to put himself back together after things that were truly _horrible _and wasn't that…

"Whatever you did," Sasuke says slowly, "Just undo it."

"That's easy for you to say…" Naruto says, cracking a small bittersweet smile. "Hard for me to do."

"…You undid the seal didn't you?"

Sasuke looks over at his old companion. Naruto sighs and nods.

"Then do it back up again," Sasuke says simply.

Naruto looks up at him flatly. "Me. Twelve years old. Up against the nine-tailed fox trying to force him back into his cage. That will go well, I can tell."

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "No need to be sarcastic. Plus. You'll have help."

Naruto eyes him slowly. "Please. Elaborate."

"Well…" Sasuke drawls, dropping down onto the ground next to Naruto. "While you and I are here chilling for the next three days, guess who's supporting you out there doing all the damage control you and I managed to avoid?"

"Oh no," Naruto groans. "Crap. Poor Sakura. _Lovely _Sakura. But- man. She's going to be pissed."

"Pissed as hell." Sasuke nods.

"As in pissed like that one time she caught you and I reading Kakashi-sensei's stash of Icha-"

"We agreed never to bring that up again," Sasuke cuts in quickly, and Naruto chuckles. Their voices echo amongst the barren plain, but it's less lonely with two.

"She was so mad man, but I pulled the 'I'm so upset' face because I said I was just reminiscing over Jiraiya and she felt so guilty afterwards-"

"-she made us all dinner," Sasuke finishes. "Yeah. I remember. That's when she was in her experimental phase with cooking though and who knows what the hell was in it 'cause I went home that night and I puked."

"Yeah! Like aren't medics supposed to be good cooks and stuff?"

Sasuke snorts. "If she hears that she'll slaughter you."

"Yeah," Naruto murmurs. "Screw that, _Hinata _will slaughter-"

Naruto suddenly falls silent and Sasuke swallows awkwardly. He doesn't quite know what to say, and he's never been the talkative one, and gosh where is Sakura when you need her-

The ground rumbles beneath them.

Sasuke and Naruto sit up immediately.

"What was that?" Naruto asks slowly. "I thought you said it would only be us for three days."

"Maybe your fox is more powerful than we'd imagined…" Sasuke murmurs, reaching into his robe for Kusanagi.

"What the hell? How do you have that thing?" Naruto asks in disgust. "And where are _my _weapons?"

"Dobe," Sasuke sighs, rolling his eyes. "Have you looked at what you're wearing? You're older now, you're not in that stupid orange jumpsuit."

Naruto looks down. "My Hokage robes! That's why you're in that ugly purple rope thing."

"Shut up," Sasuke growls.

Naruto simply pulls out his own set of kunai. "So we going to fight Kurama or what?"

"It's not Kurama," Sasuke says, eyes training on the growing crack in the ground. "It's his influence on your mind."

"Close enough," Naruto says, rolling his eyes. "But… it's a pity I'll have to fight him. I'd hoped we'd get along."

"Tch," Sasuke snorts. "Of course you had."

The ground begins to splinter and he tightens his grip on Kusanagi. A shadowy silhouette of Kurama rises and- really? Is that the best Naruto's mind could come up with?

"You ready teme?" Naruto taunts, spinning his kunai. "We're gonna spend three days fighting this thing."

"I really wish you'd stop dreaming up monsters dobe," Sasuke sighs, feeling a smile creep on at the familiar feel of Kusanagi at his fingertips. "But I suppose I'm ready."

"Suppose?" Naruto grins, hackles rising in preparation as the monster begins to charge.

Sasuke grins, angling Kusanagi. "I'm ready."

* * *

**Sakura**

Sakura grits her teeth.

She bets Sasuke and Naruto are having the time of their lives now, aren't they, in that lovely Tsukuyomi while she has to deal with- with- with _this!_

Sakura is _pissed._

No- no- she has to stay calm. Deep breaths.

Quickly surveying the area with her medic eye – her default calm mode – she divides the area into three problems she has to conquer. First, there's the genin – huddled in a corner, with the open window behind them from where Kabuto had run out – bastard. Then there's the jounin, torn between running towards the genin and running to the Hokage. And unfortunately, that's the third problem – the Third Hokage himself, looking quite displeased with the whole situation. And knowing Sarutobi's usual poker face, that says a lot.

No.

Wait.

There's four problems _crap _what'd she been thinking?

_Sabaku no Gaara._

Shit. _Shit! _Of course it'd be just like Naruto and Sasuke to _leave her here _and couldn't Sasuke just speed up the bloody thing already?! Gaara is about to go crazy out there because there's a tense atmosphere and shit just went down and the Hokage's too bloody caught up in the Naruto crisis and calling for ANBU or some other shit to deal with it!

"Kakashi-sensei!" she calls out. Because goddamn it she _needs _to rely on someone now and she would throw her own life into his hands. "Please – _please – _I need you to take Gaara away from here – away! Now!"

And her sensei is looking at her like she's- like she's a _twelve year old girl with pink hair _but there's no time for this!

"Please," she begs, "Kakashi – I need you to see me as an equal right now. I need you to _trust _me. Take him away and I _promise – _I'll take care of the rest just- _please._"

Her sensei tightens his jaw and nods, lifting up his headband to reveal his sharingan.

"Leave him to me."

Sakura nods in thanks and resists the urge to collapse. She needs to pull herself together goddamn it!

"_You!" _she screams to the remaining jounin, "Help them! _Help them!" _She gestures towards the balcony where the other genin are still standing, half in shock and terror. But why is _no one moving? _

Sakura sends out a huge wave of killer intent towards the genin, just as Kakashi pulls Gaara away, and that snaps most of the jounin into action, quickly shunshin'ing over to where the genin are crippled in fear.

"Get them out!" Sakura screams, because she doesn't know how successful Sasuke is in there, in Naruto's head.

That's when a hand closes in on her arm and she thinks – it's about bloody time the ANBU got here!

She curbs her killing intent, letting the genin sag in relief, before twisting around to face the ANBU. Using her super strength – something certainly unexpected by the ANBU – she manages to break free from his grasp and shunshin away, making the ANBU's second swipe connect only with air.

She needs to hurry up because Naruto and Sasuke are lying there prone, unconscious, and she needs to _do something _before people start prodding at their bodies.

Sakura appears at the Hokage's foot, interrupting him half way through his briefing of Asuma. Both turn to her and Asuma immediately pulls out a kunai. But he wavers, unsure of whether or not to raise arms against a young student – a genin, at that. The Hokage seems to have no such problem however, because Sakura sees the bulge of his hand under the robes right over his weapons pouch, in a familiar stance she'd come to see in Naruto.

"Please Hokage-sama," Sakura begs immediately, dropping down onto one knee in the traditional ANBU pose. "I need- please listen to me, please, please _please-"_

The Hokage grabs her shoulder and pulls her up, looking at her with a steady eye.

"You best tell me what's going on girl," he says quietly. "Especially considering one of your teammate has snapped, the other has used the Tsukuyomi, and your sensei is taking orders from you."

The ANBU who had tried to grab her materialises by the Hokage's side.

"Yamanaka Inoichi has arrived Hokage-sama."

The Hokage turns to Asuma.

"I'm going to need you to take care of this situation. Can you do it?"

Asuma nods, and Sakura lets out a sigh of relief. Yeah. Let someone else deal with the fallout.

"Now," Sarutobi says, turning back to Sakura. "Are you going to come with me, or do we need to…"

"Do it here," Sakura says immediately.

Sarutobi knots his eyebrows. "I'm afraid-"

"Inoichi-san's here, is he not?" Sakura counters, then immediately adds – "I'm _not _leaving my teammates."

To be honest, there's no way she's letting Inoichi mindwalk her. But she just needs to stall – stall and stall and stall until Tsukuyomi lets off and her teammates wake up. But she also needs to make sure her teammates wake up in a safe environment.

"Unless," Sakura adds quickly, "Unless you take them with us."

Sarutobi smiles. "We were going to do that anyway."

He gestures to two ANBU and they quickly drop down, grabbing both boys. Sakura watches sharply, making sure both are always in her eyesight.

"You'd best take us to the C-Block," she says quickly.

The Hokage eyes her with a critical eye and she knows they'll be in for heavy questioning later – especially in regards to how she knows about the C-Block. But hey, at least by then both _Sasuke and Naruto will have bloody woken up-!_

"Alright," the Hokage says, and with some unspoken signal three ANBU ambush her and clamp on chakra restrictors. Sakura grits her teeth and forces down her instinctual reaction to resist and lets them attach them onto her – though three is a bit excessive, isn't it?

"Remember," the Hokage says quietly, "You volunteered yourself for the C-Block."

"Always a joy," Sakura manages to say before the Hokage wrenches open a window and jumps out, the ANBU lugging the bodies of her two teammates behind her.

"Cat," the Hokage says, once they're all safely outside the building, "Find Kakashi. Otter, take both boys. Tiger, secure Haruno-san. I'll accompany you to the C-Block and brief Inoichi, and then I'll have to return here."

"Yes Hokage-sama," the ANBU squad murmurs in unison. As Cat transfers Sasuke's prone body onto Otter's back, Sakura experimentally sends small, smoothing streams of chakra down her arms, testing the chakra clamps on both her wrists which have manacled her hands together. She can get some minimal chakra through, but not much. This time the Hokage has been meticulous. Were they already expecting some sort of trouble?

"Let's go," the Hokage murmurs, and Sakura is thrown over the shoulder of Tiger and the three remaining ninja leap off to ANBU, C-Block.

The ANBU Building is… not actually a building. It'd been a name made up to confuse those who wanted information, and to be truthful ANBU never had a need for a building anyway. All ANBU operations were covert ones, and ANBU often only rendezvoused in the Hokage Tower or, if need be, at a few predetermined hotspots.

Except, of course, the C-Block. Again, a misleading name – there is no A-Block, nor is there a B-Block. C-Block is the only real building ANBU converges in, a small two-story structure masquerading as a storage building – a façade that explains all the materials that will go in and out, often including body bags. The first level is that of the minimal administration and paperwork requirements of ANBU, such as those of pay – most ANBU missions are off the record.

The level underneath…

As they approach the facility, the entourage has slipped into a genjutsu. The Hokage had gone ahead to meet with Inoichi, and Cat and Tiger are now a young couple. Cat is a young man, carrying two chairs – Naruto and Sasuke, and Tiger is a young woman carrying Sakura – a toddler wrapped in a multitude of blankets.

The ANBU stationed as the door does the customary façade – cooing over the toddler, helping Cat with one of the bodies. It all makes Sakura feel as if her two teammates are simply dead bodies, carried for incineration. And apparently the genjutsu detects this, because her toddler form starts crying.

The door shuts behind them and the genjutsu cracks.

"Take them below," an ANBU that had been stationed at the door murmurs. Tiger nods and motions to Cat, the two of them dragging Team 7 down to the lower level.

The real C-Block.

"Close your eyes," Tiger whispers, and Sakura almost gasps in surprise because – because ANBU are _nice _here – they're – _nice – _or maybe it's just Tiger but she _does _she closes her eyes and she doesn't see-

She doesn't see the prisoners strung up against the cell wall, she doesn't see the gaunt look of prisoners, ragged and dying and _tortured_, lying in cells while some Konoha agent masquerades, takes away their identity. She doesn't see the blood which smears the ground, the sparseness of the cells because nothing's sharp there - nothing that will allow the prisoners any sort of escape, any sort of mental escape - they're stuck here. They can't kill themselves. The C-Block is their home for the rest of their lives. She hears the screams, the crying, but its minimal – most of the people here have been broken beyond repair. They have no minds.

And that is why this is really the only place they can take Team 7.

Cat and Tiger deposit the three of them, thankfully, in the same cell, even though that means that all their bodies are pressed up against each other. A second later, the Hokage emerges with Inoichi.

"Please listen-" Sakura says immediately, but the Hokage's stare is stone cold. And then Inoichi is in her mind, pulling, scratching-

Sakura falls back and closes her eyes.

She loses consciousness and Inner awakes.

* * *

**AN: **Well the drama's certainly increasing. My current plan is that this story will probably end soon, and I've got a good plan for where it goes - maybe 2, 3 chapters? So as you can tell they'll be quite content heavy, and maybe an epilogue after that. We'll see... So hopefully it'll be completed soon!

Thanks to all those that left comments last chap: **FreelanceBum, Loner Kid, greymouser, Guest, Guest, Guest, Suzululu4moe, Enigma infinite, BurningSaiyan, pucflek, Guest, Blindguy95, Catcrazzed, Guest, Lord Alania, God General Mai, usaginekohime, SilverWhiteDragon, Arrocha Semotis Vir, Illuminated, NarutoXHonoka, Ninisty, Lonely Athena, Otakugal, Pinoy Gamer, Lamelinam, Guest, sauskaepanda, Uhh, darkpiro9, Kurai Ummei, yellowpigeonpoop, fascalia, guest, The King in White** and** Ruinous Crow. **Lots of love guys, it's greatly appreciated!

Hope you all enjoy, and thanks for sticking with me all this time x It's wrapping up soon!


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